Evil Never Dies
by Foxfire251
Summary: 25 years have passed since the defeat of Dr. Eggman. However, not everyone has completely moved on from the war. Horrible nightmares have been haunting Queen Sally for the past seventeen years, all involving her murderous roboticized alternate persona, Mecha Sally. But she knew it would never happen again. After all, he's gone for good... Right?
1. Chapter 1: It begins With a party!

**Evil never dies**

**A fanfic by foxfire251**

**WARNING****: This fanfic has been given a Mature rating for violence, gore, adult language, crude humor, sexual content, use of firearms, references to war, death, nudity, and violence against children**

**Reader Descretion is advised**

**Sonic (The games), Sonic the Hedgehog and all related characters therin are property of Sega and Sonicteam**

**Sonic (The comics), Sonic Universe and all related characters therin are property of Archiecomics**

**This is a fan-based work of fiction and no money will be made off of this**

**Please support the official release**

**Chapter One: It begins… At a party!**

"_It doesn't take the most powerful nations on the planet to create the next global conflict. Just the will of a single man." -Unknown_

_Lara-Su's unveiling party, Downing banquet halls, Mobotropolis_

_June 16__th__, 3261_

The Unveiling… one of the most well-known traditional celebrations of the Echidna race. It is a 'coming of age' celebration for Echidna girls who have just turned seventeen, at which point that they are officially considered young women in the eyes of their Echidna bretherin.

This particular Unveiling party happens to be that of the daughter of one of the former Freedom Fighters and a fellow Guardian, Knuckles the echdina, who has pretty much pulled out all the stops for his daughter's coming of age ceremony; buffet tables covered with food, snacks and desserts of all varieties, a chocolate fountain, an ice sculpture of the guest of honor, a DJ, even that rock band that has some of the other kids at her school that she knows in it! Yes, everything was perfect…

Except…

"Lara-Su, what's wrong?" Argyle asked his dance partner. The glasses-wearing echidna girl frowned, even though her mobian alligator boyfriend seemed concerned for her. "It's just…" She began, but couldn't seem to put the words together. "Well?" Argyle pryed. "the party's great, don't get me wrong," Lara-Su answered, "It's just… The dress." Argyle raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with the dress?" he asked. "Well…" Lara-Su explained, "A number of things, really. For one thing, it's a little too tight around the waist. It fit fine yesterday when I was trying it on, but now I feel like if I bend a certain way it might rip apart. Perhaps maybe… Maybe I… Maybe I gained some weight before today." "Lara, you're not fat." Argyle said, comforting her, "It probably just shrunk in the wash a little."

"And plus, there's sequins on some parts of it. _Sequins? Really?_ It's so tacky!"

"I think they look fine."

"And finally, the color."

"… The color?"

"_PINK_! Bright, bubblegum, PINK! God forbid they could've chosen any other color than pink!"

"I think that Mrs. Rose might have a thing or two to say about that statement right there. But I think you look nice in pink."

Lara-Su blushed. "You're just saying that to make me feel better." She said. Argyle shook his head. "I really do mean it." "Yeah…" Lara-Su replied, "and you look good rocking the Gangnam Style-look" "What?" Argyle said, as if trying to plead his case, "Chicks dig the whole blue tuxedo look." And then, as if on cue, the party DJ put on 'Gangnam Style' The two looked to the DJ then back at themselves. "Uhhh…" Argyle began, "How 'bout some punch?" "Yeah, sure, that might be wise." Lara-Su responded (God forbid she'd want to watch her own boyfriend embarrass himself at her party.) the two then went over to the punch bowl, where two more familiar faces were hanging out. One was her cousin Rutan, and another was a childhood friend of hers. He was a human boy, about sixteen in age, had medium-length jet-black hair, brown eyes, light skin, and was wearing a white dress shirt with a black tie that was worn loosely around his neck, and was going for the 'formal-casual' look. "So, yeah, I just don't know how to to go about doing it," Rutan told the human, "I mean, what if she doesn't like me back? What if she rejects me?" The human sighed. "Well," He responded, "If she doesn't like you the way you like her, then tough. All you can really do is just tell her how you feel about her. Plus, just so you're prepared, it may just be that you're way out of her league. I mean, Sonia Acorn _is_ kinda royalty, you know." "B-but David," Rutan whined, "I don't know if-" "Hey Rutan, what's the matter?" Argyle interrupted playfully, "Girl troubles?" The two friends looked to the other two friends of theirs. "Oh, hey guys." Rutan responded, "I was just-" "Rutan was just asking me for advice on how to woo Princess Sonia." David explained, using a tone that made it clear that he gave not a single fuck about this. Rutan looked at him as if he had just told them that he didn't stop wetting the bed until he was thirteen (Which, coincidentally, was actually true.). "Sonia?" Lara-Su queried, "_Princess_ Sonia Acorn? You have a crush on _her_?!" Rutan grabbed Lara-Su by her collar. "Please don't tell anyone!" He begged, "Especially Vicky. I swear, if she found out, she'd totally blab!" "Blab about _what_, exactly?" Rutan let go of his cousin and turned around with a jolt. Behind him was an eighteen-year-old overlander/human mixed girl with long blonde hair that was currently styled in a thin, braided ponytail just for the party, blue eyes, light skin, and was wearing a beautiful, expensive-looking strapless red dress with the skirt going down to the ankles, long, elbow-length silk opera gloves of a matching color, bright red high heels, and had a designer purse from the Mina Mongoose line of accessories, and also held a digital video camcorder in her right hand. She also had a big old grin on her face. Rutan's eyes went wide with horror. "Oh god!" He exclaimed, "Vicky, how much did you hear?" "Not enough." Vicky replied, "What's got your spines in a bunch?" "Nothing that needs to be on camara, thank you." Lara-Su answered for her cousin, "Why'd you even bring that thing, anyway?" "'Cause," Vicky responded, playfully, "I want to document my best friend's kick-ass Unveiling party!" She then pointed the camara at David. "Say something for the camara, Dave!" She said, almost in a singsong sort of way. David stuck up his middle finger. "Fuck off." He said. "You know," Said Argyle, "Ever since you got that camara for your eighteenth birthday, you've been filming just about everything you see." "Yeah?" Vicky retorted, in a sassy way, "Well, maybe I'm just enjoying my birthday gift." "So, did you bring a date to this party like you said you would?" Asked David. "Hell yes, I did!" Vicky replied, "He went over to the snack table earlier to get something to nibble real quick, he should be back any-Oh, there he is now! Lancer! Hey, Lancer, over here!" At that, a young, nineteen-year-old overlander male, with long, light brown hair in a long ponytail worn behind him, hazel eyes, tanish-peach skin, and wore a black tuxedo and orange-tinted shades, which he took off and placed in his left coat pocket. "Oh, so _this_ is this so-called 'boyfriend' of yours that you've talked about non-stop for the past five monthes." Said Lara-Su sarcastically, "I guess he actually does exist." "And you guys must be these so-called 'friends' that Vicky has talked to me about on some of our dates." Lancer replied, in a friendly way, thankfully, "Good to know you guys are all that good of friends." "So, uh, yeah Lancer, these are my friends," Vicky introduced, "Lara-Su, Argyle, David and Rutan. We've all been friends since, like, forever!" "I see, I see." Just then, a vibrating noise came from David's left pocket. He pulled out his Iphone and saw that he had gotten a text message. "Hang on, guys, I gotta take this." He said, "It's probably my cousin, Chris. 'Scuse me." He then started tapping away at his phone. "Well, I guess if David doesn't want to engage in actual conversation…" Lancer said, pulling Vicky close, "Howsabout you and me go somewhere private and make out. Whaddya say, Vicks?" Vicky looked into her boyfriend's eyes dreamily. "I'd love to!" She replied, "How about Locke Park?" "Sounds like a plan." Vicky then turned her camara off and put it in her purse, then went arm in arm with Lancer. "See ya later, guys." She said, as the two of them sauntered off. Lara-Su sighed. "David, do you _really_ have to text during _my_ party?" She asked him, irritably. David put his phone back in his pocket. "Look, my cousin Chris is a G.U.N. Navy Seal, a Commander even." He explained, "That means, I hardly get to see him as often as I'd like to. Kinda like my actual parents who are too busy being Elite Black Ops Agents to look after their own son." "But what about your Grandad?" Lara-Su inquired, "Doesn't he look after you?" "My Grandad is a washed-up war hero who punched Robotnik in the face a couple of times." He responded, "Crazy as fuck, too. He once pulled a gun out on a waiter at a Ruby Tuesdays for screwing up his order. Needless to say, we're actually no longer allowed within twenty yards of that particular establishment." "My dad once said that he was a member of both the Original Freedom Fighters and the Second-Gen Freedom Fighters," Lara-Su stated, "And that he fought in the Great War alongside Skye's grandfather, you know, Commander Amedeus Prower." "Yeah, Well now he's just an old man." David answered back, "Filled with nothing but war stories and a strong grasp of right and wrong." _I say all this…_ David thought, guiltily, _ and yet I did a freelance report on his heroism for social studies class… And got an A+, no less…_

_Locke Park_

_That same moment…_

Lancer and Vicky leaned against a nearby tree as they locked lips in a passionate makeout session. The world around them just seemed to cease to exist as they kissed.

Until…

Vicky was opened her eyes for a moment, then pulled away from the kiss when she saw someone in the clearing behind them. "Babe, What's wro-" Vicky Shushed him before he could finished his sentence. "Hey," She whispered, "Isn't that Jay the Cat from class 4-C?" The two turned around and peered around from behind the tree. Sure enough, a dark tan-furred mobian cat boy was standing in the middle of the clearing, almost like he was waiting for something…

Or _someone_.

Jay wore a navy blue hoverboard hoody with the 'Babylonian Hoverboards' logo on the front of it, and had these grey Nike sneakers, and also had a visor cap worn upside down and tilted slightly to the side. "Who do you think he's waiting for?" Lancer whispered. "I dunno…" Vicky then pulled out her camara again and pressed the 'record' button, "But I sure as hell don't wanna miss this." "Vicky!" Lancer snapped at her, worriedly, "Jay could be involved with some drug dealers or something for all we know!" "Well, then all the more reason to catch this on film." She replied, smirking, "After all, my dad _is_ the Mayor of Mobotropolis, and he'd want to know if a drug deal went on in his city." "Hey, took ya long enough!" the two looked to where Jay was standing.

He was approached by a very tall overlander man. This man had pale, sand-red medium long hair, black eyes with green iris', pale skin, and wore a long black cloak, and a face mask resembling the one that Bane wore in the 'Rise of the Dark Knight' movie.

"Oh my god…" Vicky said, shocked, "_Bane?!"_ "No, no, it's not really Bane." Lancer reassured her, "It's just a guy wearing one of those dumb-assed Bane masks with the voice changers that makes you actually sound like him. You can get those things at K-Mart, for chrissakes." "So uhh, like what's with the uhh, mask?" Jay asked the man, his brooklyn accent flaring, "You uhh, 'goin for th' whole, 'Bane' look?" "The purpose of the mask is to hide my identity until it is time for me to reveal my presence to the world." The mysterious man answered, his voice actually sounding like that of the famed movie villain's from under the mask, "So, then, Jay… Did you obtain for me the item I asked for on our little 'private online chat session' last night?" Jay grinned. "Hells yes, I did!" He then pulled a flash drive out of the pocket of his hoody, and handed it to the man. "And, uhhh…" Jay asked, expectantly, "Did you uhhh… Get me what I wanted?" "Oh, but of course, Jay." The man happily replied, "After all, I wouldn't want to go back on our agreement." He then reach under his cloak and pulled out a brown envelope and handed it to Jay. "Lemme take a looksee…" He opened the envelope pulled out a large photograph of Her Royal Majesty, Queen Sally Acorn, depicting her in her younger days… Naked… And laying on a metal table of some kind, her eyes looking like they were in some kind of trance. "Oh, fuck the hell yes!" He beamed, looking down at the photo. Vicky zoomed in on the photograph. "Whoa, Jesus…" She said, "Lancer, check it out! This guy handed Jay some kind of pornographic photo of the Queen!" "Really?" he said, instantly interested. He then pulled a small monocular from out of his coat pocket and looked through it at the photo. "Damn…" He said, "I didn't know that her Royal Highness had such a nice rack when she was younger." "Nevermind that!" Vicky retorted, smirking all the while, "Check out those _nipples_! You can see them clear as day! They're like… I dunno, pinkish-peach colored!" "So, Jay…" The man asked his little 'contact' "Does everything seem to be in order?" Jay snapped back to reality and looked up to the man. "Oh, uh, yeah! Totally." He slipped the photograph back into the envelope. "But… There's just one thing…" "Oh? And just what would that be?" The man inquired. "Well, see… Who _are_ you, exactly?" Jay asked, "I mean, I already told you who _I_ really was in our chat session last night, but you haven't exactly told me who _you_ are. So, yeah… Who are you?" The man looked down at him, sternly. "Oh, it doesn't matter who _I_ am," He answered, almost qouting the actual movie his mask was from, "All that matters is that I get what I need for my plans to come into fruition." "Plans?" Jay looked worried now. "Wh-what plans?" "Well… I suppose you _do_ have the right to know." The man then looked like he was smiling underneath the mask. "Very well. I shall tell you. You see, I plan to use the data you copied from your dad's laptop to develop certain weapons that will use in my total takeover of Planet Mobius." Jay looked at the man, horrified at first, then started cracking up, as if he had just been told a funny joke. "Oh, man, that's so funny… You're so fucking funny… Fuck you for being so funny…" The laughter started dying down in almost under a minute. He then looked up at the man, a look of horrified realization on his face. "Wait… You're serious about that?!" He asked nervously. The man nodded. "Correct." He replied, "I am _very_ much serious about this. You, my friend, have just successfully aided in an act of conspiracy to rebellion… Treason, even." Jay's eyes went wide with horror. "Oh jesus…" He said, "Oh shit.. oh fuck, what have I done?" He then looked at the man defiantly. "Ya know what, no. I'm done. I don't want to do buisiness with you no more." Jay then turned around to walk away, then froze when he heard the pull of a hammer. The man had pulled a Taurus Raging Judge 28. Gauge shotgun revolver with an eight-inch barrel, carbon fiber grip and a custom crimson red paint job from under his cloak and pointed it at Jay's head. "I actually feel the same way, Jay." The man answered, sadistically. He then pulled the trigger and blew a hole right through Jay's head, splattering blood and brains all over the ground in front of him. Vicky almost screamed, but stopped herself by covering her mouth with her left hand, her camara still gripped tightly in her right. Both her and Lancer watched in shock and horror as Jay's still, lifeless form fell slowly to the ground, a pool of blood forming underneath him. The man put away the high-powered revolver, then looked down at his handywork for a moment, then turned around and walked away. The two lovers waited until the man was completely out of sight then made a mad dash in the opposite direction of where they both had just stood. They kept running until they reached a small playground, where they stopped to catch their breath. "Jesus… F-fucking Christ…" Vicky stammered, "Murder… We just witnessed a fucking _murder_!" "Vicks…" Lancer said, sternly, "We absolutelly _cannot_ show that video to _anyone_! Not even your dad!" "Wh-Why?" "Because whoever we show this to, could possibly end up being a target for this guy, just like we are now!" Vicky's eyes widened in horror. "We are?!" She practically screamed. "This guy must be some kind of terrorist or something, judging by what he told Jay just now. A fucking _TERRORIST_, Vicky! That means, we have to assume that if he finds out that _anyone_ other then him and Jay witnessed this exchange, then he'll kill them the same way he killed Jay!" There was a long pause between the two. "So…" Said Vicky, breaking the pause, "What do we do now?" Lancer sighed, then answered, "We go back to the party, and pertend like nothing happened. That sound good?" Vicky wanted to protest, but realized that Lancer was right, so she answered, "Yeah… I guess so." The two then walked back to the banquet hall, putting the events that they had just witness out of their mind for the rest of the night.

_Back at the party…_

Rutan took a sip from a plastic cup filled with punch that he had just helped himself to. Just then, he saw her; Princess Sonia Eleena Acorn. A nervous look overtook his face. His grip on the plastic cup tightened until he crushed it, punch spilling onto the floor beneath him. David noticed him, then noticed who he was nervously gawking at, then said, "Well, there she is. Go tell her." Rutan glanced at his friend nervously. "Wa-wa-wa-what?" He stammered. "You wanted to tell her, there she is." He told him, "Now go get her, tiger." "B-b-but, I…"

"You what?"

"W-Well, whenever I try to talk to her, or even _imagine_ myself talking to her, I get the feeling like I'm about to throw up!"

"…"

Rutan glanced at Sonia, then back at his friend. David sighed. "Well…" David responded, "Try to hold that feeling in when you go to talk to her. Now go." Rutan gulped hard. He then dropped the cup, then nervously walked over to the princess. Sweat poured down his head like raindrops in a rainforest. He then walked straight up to the chipmunk/squirrell hybrid princess. She turned to face him. She was wearing this gorgeous sky-blue gown that practically screamed royalty, and had these white, silk shoulder length opera gloves. A beautiful pearl necklace hung around her neck, while these golden earrings encrusted with emeralds hung from her ears. She also wore bright red lipstick on her lips, pale lavender eyeshadow, and her eyes… Oh sweet merciful lord, HER EYES, her beautiful, bright emerald eyes, coupled with her brownish-red hair, it was only understandable that Rutan had fallen for this girl…

Whom he is about to attempt to confess his love to…

Let's see how this goes for him, shall we?

"Uhhh… Hi, Rutan." Said Sonia, a little creeped out by the way he was looking at her. Rutan shook nervously. "H-h-h-HI S-s-Sonia!" He stammered. His mind felt like it was slowly turning into putty. "Umm… So… Can I… Help you?" Sonia queried. Rutan looked back to his friends back at the punch bowl. Argyle gave him the thumbs up, as if to encourage him. Lara-Su mouthed the words 'Go on' to him, and David just looked at him as if to say, 'Well, tell her you silly bastard!' Rutan gulped again and turned his gaze back to Sonia. "Sonia…" He said, taking a deep breath, "Th-there's something I w-want to t-t-t-tell you…" Suddenly, Rutan felt sick, almost as if he was about to throw up. Sonia raised an eyebrow. "Rutan… Are you okay?" She asked. And, getting her answer, Rutan puked all over her face, almost like a close-quarters vomit bazooka! He panted heavily after he was finished. Just then, Vicky and Lancer rejoined Lara-Su and co. just in time. "Hey, we're back! Did we miss anything?" Vicky asked. Lara-Su covered her mouth with her hands in shock. Argyle winced. David just face-palmed. "Nope, you're just in time to witness Rutan embarrass himself in public once again." David answered. The music stopped, and everyone stopped what they were doing to see the scene before them. Sonia wiped chunks of vomit from over her eyes so she could see. Rutan was now wide-eyed in horror at what he had just done. There was a long awkward pause, which was soon broken by Sonia growling angrily and then storming off to the women's restroom. Rutan was then joined by his friends. "Wow, Rutan…" Said David, "J-just wow." "Damnit, Rutan!" Lara-Su scolded, "Did you _have_ to embarrass yourself like that at my unveiling party?!" "Damn, man, you puked in her _face_? That's a technical foul, right there, bro." Vicky and Lancer stayed silent, not really knowing what to say that wasn't either impolite or downright mean. Rutan looked to the crowd around him, all of whom looked shocked and/or appaled, or had already taken pictures with their phones and were posting them on the internet right then and there. "I…" Tears came to his eyes. "I-I need to be alone now…" He then ran to the mens room. His loud sobs echoed from behind the door. After all that, the party resumed. The music went back on, and people went back to what they were doing previously, as if nothing had happened. "I can't believe that just happened." Said Lara-Su. "I can." David replied.

Just then, Lara-Su was approached by her father, Knuckles, and an old friend of his and the family's, Rotor, who was about in his fifties by now, and wore a brown dress vest covering a black tie and white dress shirt. "So, aside from what just happened, how's my little g-I mean, fine young woman?" Knuckles asked, a friendly smile on his face. Lara-Su's eyes lit up with delight. "Dad! Uncle Rotor!" he gave each of them a brief hug. "So I guess you were actually able to show up." David told old, spectacle-wearing walrus. Rotor smiled sweetly. "Well, you know me." He replied, "Wouldn't want to miss the coming of age ceremony for the daughter of an old friend of mine. Speaking of which, how's your grandfather doing, David?" David shrugged. "Old, crazy, and jumps about three feet whenever he hears a jackhammer or a car backfiring." He responded, sarcastically. "Hey, I was just asking." Said Rotor, "There's no need to be like that." "Well, anyways," Knuckles interjected, trying to avoid an argument, "Listen, the cake is about to be wheeled out, so would you mind fetching Sonia and your cousin for me?" "I'll get Sonia." Said Vicky. David shrugged again. "And I'll go get Rutan." He added. The two friends then walked into the respective bathrooms. Vicky was able to convince Sonia to let what happened slide and enjoy the rest of the party, but Rutan needed more convincing.

David knocked on the door of the stall that Rutan had locked himself in. "Go away!" He sobbed, "I'm never coming out of this stall ever again for the rest of my natural life!" David shrugged irritably, then came up with a new tactic. "Alright, fine. Stay in there." He told him. He then pulled out his cellphone. "Just let me tell your mom where you're gonna be for the rest of your life and why you're gonna be there." Rutan unlocked the door, then jerked it open. "Y-You wouldn't!" He exclaimed, but by that time, David had already selected Rutan's mother Lien-Da's number on speed dial, which was now ringing on the other end. "David?" The ex-assassin answered, "What do you want?"

"Okay…" He pleaded, "You win. PLEASE don't tell her!"

"Mrs. Lien-Da," David responded, the utmost starkness in his voice, "I just called you to tell you; I love you."

"… Excuse me?"

David then hung up and put the phone back in his pocket. "You owe me for that." He told him, "Now c'mon, they're about to wheel in your cousin's cake." Rutan then got up from where he was squatting and went over to the sink to wash his mouth out a little more, just in case, and then followed his friend to where the rest of his friends were, as well as his cousin and her father. There was a huge, layered, vanilla frosted cake, that looked almost as tall as a fully-grown human, and had various echidna tribal designs drawn in icing all around it. Lara-Su's eyes widened with pure delight. "Is it?..." She began, but her father answered with, "Red velvet cake with vanilla buttercream frosting, just like the kind you like." He then put an arm on her shoulder. "Well, Lara, as of tonight, you are officially a young woman in the eyes of your echidna bretherin." He told her, "Do you feel older?" Lara-Su blushed a little. "Not really, no." She said, "I kinda feel the same as I always hav-" Just then, another familiar face popped up from the top of the cake, and guess who it was? "Surprise!" a familiar pink-haired hedgehog woman exclaimed. Rotor jolted a little. "Mrs. Rose?" Said David, a little stunned. "Amy?" Said Rotor, apparently not being in the know about this sudden surprise. "You surprised, Lara-Su?" Lara-Su looked to her father. "Did… Did you plan this?" She asked. Knuckles sighed. "Admittedly, it was all her idea. We had her hide inside a secret compartment inside the cake where she would pop out when the time was right." "Yeah, and it was wicked hot in there!" Said Amy, panting, "I was sweating my ass off." Rotor looked closesly and noticed that Amy's shoulders were completely bare. "Uhhh… Amy…" He asked, "Are even wearing any clothes in there?" there was short pause. If you listened closely, you could probably hear the sound of crickets outside out from the balcony. "Um… Wellll, actually…" She began, "Like I said, it was hotter than hell itself in there, and I just so happened to decide to wear a skintight latex catsuit and heel boots for the occasion and-" "Oh-kaaaaayyy!" Knuckles exclaimed, attempting to divert everyone's thoughts from imagining Amy Rose naked, "Who wants cake?"

_To be continued…_


	2. Chapter 2: A friendly get-together

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapter will also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters**

**Reader descretion is advised**

**Chapter two: a friendly get-together**

_Seashell Coast_

_25 miles east outside of Mobotropolis_

_June 18__th_

The Acorn Royal Cruiser touched down in the parking lot in front of the beach. The passenger door opened up, and out came the Acorn Royal family; first came the youngest, Prince Manik, fourteen years old and bursting with energy, dashing out first with his beachbag in tow, leaving a blue streak behind him as he began to run. Next, came the eldest child, Princess Sonia, who wore a purple vest and boots, and ran after her brother. "Manik, wait a minute!" She called after him, "We gotta wait on everyone else!" Manik dashed back and shrugged. "Alright…" He said halfheartedly. And finally, out came the fair and just ruler, Queen Sally Acorn, and the true, blue king of Mobius, Sonic. "It's just like I remember it being." Said Sally, looking out to the beach in front of them. "Yep." Sonic added, "Bright sunshine, blue skies, the smell of the ocean and the faint echo of the boardwalk a few blocks down. Just like old times, eh Sal?" Sally giggled. "Yeah, I suppose so." She replied. Just then, another family came out of the cruiser, a noble family, in fact. First, there was the youngest, a fifteen year old mobian fox boy with light grey fur, short light brown hair, rose colored eyes, and wore a blue '_Adventures of Agent X_' T-shirt. He ran over to Manik's side. "So, Trey," Said Manik, "What're we gonna do first?" "Swim." Trey answered, "What else?" Next came a sixteen year old mobian fox/cat hybrid with reddish-grey fur, medium length violet-colored hair that had a ponytail on the left side of it, green eyes, and wore an indigo long-sleeved vest overtop a black and pink pinstripe tubetop, with a fishnet top worn underneath that, a black, hip hugging leather skirt, purple knee high stockings and heel boots. She was also listening to '_Hangar 18_' by Megadeth on her ipod at an obscene volume. "ipod off, Lita!" A female voice scolded from inside the cruiser, "We talked about this." Lita shrugged then turned off her ipod, took out the earbuds and placed them back in her beachbag. Finally, the parents; one was a mobian fox, older than Sonic by one year, with brownish-orange fur, green eyes, long brown hair done in a ponytail and was parted in the front, and wore navy blue body armor coupled with a black cape. Accompanying him was a mobian cat woman, a year younger than her husband, with purple colored fur, long, bright pink hair, rose colored eyes and wore a lavender gown with a single sleeve on the left arm. Sonic looked back to the fox. "Hey, Jake!" He called to him, "Does it look like we remember it being?" Jake looked out to the shore then gave a slight smile. "Yeah, I suppose it does." He said. Suddenly, he gave a short, violent-sounding cough. "You okay?" His wife asked. Jake nodded. "I'm fine, Katelyn." He reassured her, "Nothing to worry about." "Hey, guys!" The group of friends were then joined by another of their friends and his family. "Oh, hey, Tails!" Sonic called back. Tails, now in his thirties, was joined by his wife, Mina, and their two children, Skye, their eldest son at fifteen, and Melody, their youngest daughter at thirteen. "So, how's your litter been doing, Tails?" Sonic asked. "Well, Melody sang at her school's talent show and won first place," Tails answered with a smile, "And Skye is so smart now he might actually end up skipping a grade!" "Cool!" Said Sonic. "It's good to know my brother's doing well raising his children." Said Jake. He then coughed again, same as the one before. "Jake, that's a pretty nasty-sounding cough you got there." Said Sonic, "You aren't getting sick, are you?" "I-it's… J-just allergies." Jake answered, panting a little. He then looked at the palm of the hand he used to cover his mouth and suddenly looked worried. "I-I gotta go to the bathroom real quick. Be right back." He said. He then ran off to the restroom building, almost as fast as Sonic can usually go. "Not sure if it's really allergies or if it's that time of month again." Said Sonic. "So, uhh, Tails," Said Sally, desperatly changing the subject, "Who are we still waiting on?" "Well," Said Tails, "Vector and his son Argyle are already here, and Riley and Amy are already here too, and now you guys are here, so essentially we're waiting on just about everyone else." "I actually got a text from Knuckles," Mina added, "He said that he and Clash should be here any minute." Just then, as if on cue, a night-black '75 Chevy Camaro with a red racing stripe going down the front of it pulled into a parking spot nearby. The front passenger door opened, and Knuckles came out first, and said, as if continuing a conversation, "I still can't get over the fact that you carry an assault rifle in the trunk of your car, Clash." Then, out of the driver's side door came a 60-year-old human male, his hair medium-length and entirely grey in color, not too many wrinkles, but the scars on his face now looked more ugly than badass like they used to, brown eyes, light skin, and wore an olive green t-shirt with the words 'G.U.N. Marines' printed on the front of it, a dogtag necklace, camoflage cargo pants, kneepads, a gun holster carrying a Colt M1911, combat boots, and had a faded tattoo on his right forearm of the emblem of his former unit, 'Tigerclaw' "It pays to be prepared, Knux," the human replied, his voice raspy from age, "Our past adventures as Freedom Fighters has taught you that, right?" "Well, Clash, y'see," Knuckles answered, getting a little irritated, "That's just it; the war is _over_. We pretty much won with a vengeance. There's no need to have an assault rifle in the trunk of your car, let alone carry that pistol everywhere." Then, the two backseat doors opened, and out came Lara-Su, David and Julie-Su. "This pistol," Clash argued, drawing it from it's holster and holding it up, "Happened to help kill 125 West Overlander Army Soldiers, 289 Eggtroopers, 75 Dark Legionaires, 68 Iron Dominion Warriors, and many other baddies that threatened the peace of Planet Mobius." "Yeah," Knuckles snapped back, pointing at his bionic right eye, "And it also took out my right eye!" "I was aiming at the headcrab that attached itself to your face during that headcrab invasion seven years ago!" "Speaking of your grandad and my dad's argument," Lara-Su said to David, "What's a headcrab?" "Hang on," David replied, digging out his iphone, "I can Google this." He then tapped away at his phone, searching info on the so-called 'Headcrab' and almost instantly got the results he wanted. "'Headcrab'" He began, "'A parasitic alien life form that spawned from a meteorite that crash-landed in Soviet Muthaland seven years ago. It got it's name when it was discovered that it latches onto the head or face of it's prey, and takes complete control of it's mind and body, lulling it into a zombie-like state and draining it of it's life energy until it's nothing more than a dried-up husk. Seven years ago, there was a mass swarm of these creatures in Moscow, but was contained thanks to the efforts of the Acorn Royal Guard, G.U.N., and the Freedom Fighters.'" "Huh." Said Lara-Su, amazed that something like this had happened, "How come I can't remember when that happened?" "Well, see…" David began, putting his phone back in his pocket, "The reason for that is that you were in a coma during that time." Lara-Su's mouth opened in shock. "WHAT?!" She exclaimed, "How'd I slip into a coma?" David sighed, then explained, "Okay, you remember when you were ten and you went through that 'ant-squishing' phase?" Lara-Su nodded. "Okay," David continued, "Well, there was this one time seven years ago when me and Rutan were hanging out at your place playing Situation, kinda just minding our own, when all of a sudden, you saw this tiny little ant. It wasn't really doing anything, it was just sorta scurrying along, but you wanted to kill it, so you followed it until it crawled up into an electrical socket. I told you to just let it go, but you wouldn't listen. So, being the naïve, ten-year-old little girl that you were back then, you went into the kitchen and got a fork out of the silverware drawer, then went back to the electrical socket that the ant crawled into, then stuck the aformentioned fork into the socket, and… Well, you get the picture. As a result of you getting electricuted, you fell into a coma for four months. And during that four-month period, the Headcrab Invasion happened." Lara-Su was wide-eyed in shock at this revelation. "Yeahhhh, I honestly wouldn't let it bother you." David told her, "We're supposed to have fun today, despite how much your dad and my grandad argue all the while." Meanwhile, Sonic looked toward the restroom building, then back to Katelyn. "So, uh, Katelyn…" Sonic asked, "What's up with Jake? He's been in the bathroom for over five minutes." Katelyn looked away from his gaze, her ears falling flat against her head. "I don't really know…" She answered, "As of late, he's often scurried off to the bathroom, often after a short coughing fit, and whenever I ask if he's alright, he tells me that he's fine and that I shouldn't worry about it, but I _do_ worry about him. So much so, in fact, that I sometimes stay up at night, wondering if he's going to wake up coughing." Katelyn seemed on the verge of tears, but Tails cut in in an attempt to lighten up the situation. "Well, he's probably fine," He told her, reassuringly, "I mean, it's not like he's _dying_ or anything, right?"

_The men's restroom_

_That same moment…_

Jake barfed up another mouthful of blood into the toilet he was kneeling over. He moaned in agony as his insides felt like they were coated in acid. He puked again, clutching tightly at the rim of the toilet bowl as he did so. The color of his fur started turning duller, and his eyes becoming bloodshot. He reached shakily for a small black pouch inside his beachbag and unzipped it, his hands trembling from the pain. He took out a syringe containing a bright yellow medicine, yanked the safety cover off of the needle, then jammed it into his left arm. Slowly, he injected the amber liquid into his bloodstream until the syringe was completely empty. After he had finished, the pain had finally subsided, and his fur slowly went back to it's normal hue, and his eyes went back to normal as well. He fell backwards into a sitting position, panting heavily, the needle still stuck in his arm. After a short moment, he zipped the black pouch back up, put it back in the bag, stood up and flushed the toilet. He then took the needle out of his arm and threw it into the trashcan. Next, he went over to the sink and washed the residual blood out of his mouth, threw some cold water on his face, then took out a small device that looked like a blood meter that a diabetic would use. He took off his left glove and pricked one of his fingers on it, then waited a moment. The screen then lit up, and then some text appeared on it that read, 'Blood toxidity count: 54%' _Great._ He thought, _I'm only 46% away from death._ He sighed, putting the meter back in the bag as well. _Might as well change into my swim clothes._ He thought, _everyone else probably is already in their swim suits._

_Back outside…_

Sonic and Sally walked towards the edge of the east diving pier, wearing their new swimtrunks that they bought at the beginning of the summer. Sonic's was a pair of yellow swim shorts with a lime green trim on the hem and waist, while Sally wore a bright, sky blue two-piece bikini. They soon reached the edge of the pier, and already Sonic was starting to feel uneasy. "So, uhhhh, Sal…" He asked, "What are we doing at the edge of the diving pier?" Sally had a serious look on her face. "Sonic…" She began, "Me and Jake had a bit of an 'interesting' conversation recently." "What about?" Sonic queried. "Sonic…" Sally's seriousness had not once broken. "Do you remember our honeymoon?" Sonic thought for a moment, then a nostalgic smile spread across his face. "Oh yeahh, I remember now!" He answered, "The freaking luxury cruise along the Emerald coast. Yep, good times… Except for those two assassins that kept trying to kill us, but the only person they managed to actually kill was your double, and even then she wasn't a very good double. I once caught her smoking over near one of the poolside barcounters." Sally shrugged and face-palmed. "Okay, let me re-phrase the question; Do you remember how you _acted_ on our honeymoon?" Sonic thought back to roughly nineteen years ago, when they went on their honeymoon…

_The S.S. Mi Amore Luxury Liner_

_International waters_

_Nineteen years earlier…_

_ Sally lay on the lounge chair in front of the pool, soaking up sunrays while reading one of her favorite books of all time, 'The Giver' she was about halfway into the second paragraph on the page she was on when all of a sudden… "Sally, we got a problem." Sally looked up from her book to see one of her friends, Amy (Who most likely only came so that she could be near Sonic while she still could.) "What is it, Amy?" She asked. "It's Sonic." Amy answered. Sally shrugged irritably. "What is he doing this time?" "Follow me." The two then walked over to a tall metal pole on the topmost deck on the ship. There, at the very top of it was Sonic, clinging to it for dear life, looking absolutely terrified. Jake was standing at the very bottom, looking up at where Sonic was. Sally looked up as well to see her newly-wedded husband, acting like a baby. "Oh, goddammit!" Sally yelled, "Sonic, what are you doing up there?!" "I'm getting to high ground!" He yelled back down, "What does it look like?" Sally then yelled, "Sonic, get down from the pole!"_

"_NO!" He yelled back._

"_Sonic, get down from the pole!"_

"_NO!"_

"_Sonic, get down from the pole!"_

"_NO!"_

"_**SONIC T. HEDGEHOG, GET DOWN FROM THE FUCKING POLE **__**RIGHT NOW**__**!**__"_

"_NO! And you can't make me!"_

_Sally growled angrily, grinding her teeth, then swallowed, and put on her best poker face. "Amy… Get your hammer." She instructed, her tone calmer then it was a moment ago, "Then pummel the crap out of this pole until Sonic falls off." "Got it!" Amy then reached behind her back and pulled out her Piko Piko hammer (Sally, seeing this once more, had a brief look of disbelief on her face as she wondered where exactly Amy was keeping that damned thing.), then started pummeling the side of the pole with it, making it shake violently. After about a minute of this, she stopped, panting out of breath, then looked up. Sonic was still clinging to the pole for dear life. "Jesus, he has a strong grip." Said Amy. "Let me try." Said Jake all of a sudden. He then walked up to the side of the pole, then yelled up towards Sonic, "Sonic, listen to me carefully. I'm going to give you to the count of three to get down from that pole before I use my Chaos Lightning Attack to send 5,000 volts of pure electricity coursing through this pole. One…"_

"_I already told you, I'm not coming down!" Sonic yelled back down._

"_Two…" Jake focused Chaos energy into his left hand, causing a ball of bright, blue electricity to materialize around his hand._

"_Do your worst, Jake, do your absolute worst! DO ITTTT!"_

"_Three!"_

_Jake then grabbed the pole, sending the crackling, blue line of electricity shooting upwards until enveloped Sonic. Sonic was clearly in pain, but he kept his grip, not letting go despite it being a wise idea to do so. About twenty seconds later, Sally looked worriedly up at Sonic, then yelled, "FOR GOD'S SAKE, SONIC, LET GO OF THE POLE OR YOU'RE GOING TO DIE!" Sonic then let go of the pole and fell to the floor, laying there in a daze, his fur slightly charred and smelling like barbeque, his body twitching every so often. The three friends then gathered around him in a circle. "Hey Sonic…" Said Jake, "… You alright?" Sonic gave a dazed moan as saliva pooled up in his mouth and dribbled down his chin. "Yeah, I think he's gonna be just fine." Said Jake. Amy then gave a short sigh. "I'll go get a medic." She said._

_Present day…_

"Ohhhh…." Sonic said in realization, "Oh yeah. I forgot about all that." "You _completely_ embarrassed yourself in front of everyone!" Said Sally, raising her tone slightly. "Well, to be completely fair, Sal," Sonic retorted, "You did bring me, an individual who's morbidly aquaphobic, on a cruise ship over open water." "Well, here's the thing…" Sally then said, "Yesterday, I gave Jake a special 'mission'."

"You gave him a mission?"

"He's Commander of the Royal Guard, Sonic!"

"Ookay."

"Anyways, this 'mission' of his will take place today, and I have given him full executive authority to do whatever needs to be done to complete it." Sonic raised an eyebrow. "He's going on a mission _today_?" He asked, "When?" "Right now." Sonic looked back and saw Jake, wearing a slate grey full-body wetsuit with an open-faced hood and tail sheath, and matching webbed swimming gloves and flipper boots. Upon seeing this, Sonic giggled. "Wow Jake, nice outfit!" He chuckled, "Going for the whole 'bipedal dolphin' look?" "Real cute, Sonic." Jake replied, not once raising his tone, "You know very well how I am about getting my fur wet." He then walked over to the edge of the pier and dived head first into the clear, blue ocean water, then resurfaced with a short gasp. Sonic looked down at his friend, then at his wife. Both of them seemed to be looking at him like they expected him to do something. "Ummmm…" Sonic started looking worried now. "What's going on?" "Sonic…" Jake answered, "Sally has instructed me to teach you how to swim." Sonic went wide-eyed with shock for a moment, but then burst into laughter as if he had told the funniest joke in existance. He wiped a tear from his eye after the laughter died down a little, then looked back at Jake, who looked completely unimpressed. Sonic's expression soon became one of fear. "Wait, you're serious about this?" He asked, the terror building in his voice. "I'm not backing down from this, Sonic." Sally responded, "This is something that should have been done years ago." Sonic slowly backed away from the edge of the pier. He stopped as a pair of hands slid over his eyes. He then heard a familiar voice whisper seductively into his left ear:

"Guess who, my little hedgemuffin?"

Sonic gave a loud, audible yelp and lept almost a foot into the air, and turned around swiftly to face his possible molester, but instead saw Amy standing in front of him, sporting an _obscenely_ skimpy two-piece red bikini, the breast cups of which were shaped like hearts. She was also carrying a pink tote bag underneath her left shoulder. She giggled almost like the twins from _The Shining_. "Did I startle you?" She asked. "Startle me?" Sonic snapped back, "You nearly gave me a heart attack! I almost thought I was about to be raped!" Amy looked at him, looking almost offended by what he just said. "Is that really the _only_ thought that comes to mind whenever you hear my voice?" She asked, definatly sounding offended. Sonic thought for a moment, then asked, "Do I have to answer that truthfully?"

Meanwhile, Manik and his friends, Skye and Melody, were over at the west diving pier, waiting on Trey to finish changing into his bathing suit. "What's taking your cousin so long, Skye?" Manik asked his friend, "He's been in the changing booth for almost ten minutes!" Skye started fidgeting with his tails nervously. "I-I don't know, Manik." He answered with a stutter. Manik shrugged impatiently. "Well, I say we jump in without him." He said. "I'll go first!" Said Melody. She fixed the small ruffle skirt on her one-piece bathing suit, then dove into the water feet first, making not too much of a splash when she impacted the water. "So Mel, how's the water?" Manik asked once Melody resurfaced. "The water's fine!" She chirped, "Come on in, guys!" "You're up, fluffy!" Manik told Skye with a nudge, causing him to stumble forward a little. He looked down at the waters surface, his reflection rippling in the waves. He gulped nervously, then started to get into a diving position, but tripped on one of his two tails (A genetic trait that he had inherited from his father.) and fell in the water face first. He resurfaced to find Manik laughing at his folly. His lips started to quiver as he felt on the verge of tears. Manik stopped laughing when he saw his friend about to cry. "N-no, I didn't mean it like that!" He said, reassuringly, "I wasn't laughing _at_ you, I was laughing _with_ you! Don't take it so personally, Skye!" Skye's urge to cry subsided, and then his lips curled into a shy smile. Manik grinned, showing off the open gap where his last primary tooth once stood. "Alright, now scoot over a bit… I got something special planned for _my_ turn." Obediantly, Skye and Melody swam to the side a bit. Manik then turned around as if to run. "W-wait!" Skye shouted, "W-where are you going?" "I'm getting a running start, dude," He answered, "What does it look like?" He then dashed back towards the beach, all the way over to the concrete wall seperating the beach from the sidewalk. He then turned back towards the shore and took about three steps forward. "Alright…" He thought aloud, "Let's see if I can't remember how to do this. First…" He crouched down and curled himself into a ball, "'Curl up.' Second…" He splayed his spines out, making the back of his head seem like the blades of a circular saw, "'Spines out' third…" He jumped upwards slightly, "Up…" he somersaulted forward, "Over…" he then started building up speed while he was spinning, which propelled him forward after he hit the ground. "And GONE!" he rolled forward at a speed similar to his own running speed, sending sand flying in all directions as he cut a path through the beach; his older sister, Sonia, who was previously sunbathing, was immediatley buried underneath a mound of sand. She popped her head out of the mound, spitting sand out of her mouth, then glared in her brother's direction and yelled out furiously, "DWEEEEEEEEB!" Knuckles, who was taking a break from arguing with Clash, was conversing with Vector about the good old days as the Chaotix, and suddenly a blue blur sped past him, throwing sand in his _good_ eye, causing him to cry out in pain. "GAH! SAND IN MY GOOD EYE!" He cried out, "OH MY GOD, THIS FUCKING SUCKS!" He rubbed his eye furiously, then yelled out, "SOOOOONIC! I WILL FUCKING-" "Uhhhh, Knux?" Vector interrupted him before he could finish his sentence. "What is-" Knuckles began, but than realized what his friend was probably about to say. "Oh yeah, that's right…" He said, shrugging, "I keep forgetting that's his son and not him. But then again, why would I not? He looks almost like he did when he was that age." He watched Manik as he spun off towards the diving pier. "Well Knux?" Said Clash, smugly, "How's it feel to be old?" Knuckles growled angrily. "Don't you have a Great War flashback to get back to or something?" He snapped at him. "Depends…" Clash retorted cooly, "You want to lose another eye?" "I'd like to see you try it, old man!" Knuckles snarled. Clash looked at Knuckles for a moment, then reached for his pistol. "Knuckles, my friend…" He pulled out the 45. Semi-automatic again, pointing it upwards and sideways, so that the word 'Princess' that he had carved into the slide during the days of the war faced forward, "… You're entering a world of pain." Manik then jumped up off the edge of the pier, then uncurled for a brief moment so he could yell "Spin dash cannonball!" and then curl back up and plummet into the water, making a HUGE splash! Skye and Melody's eyes widened in amazement. Manik resurfaced, then looked to his friends and beamed. "Whaddaya think?" He asked, "I've been practicing for months at the community pool after my dad first taught me how to do a spin dash!" "That was cool!" Melody squeeled. "Y-yeah!" Skye added, almost whisper-like, "W-way to go!" Just then, there was another spash as someone else jumped into the water right in front of them, and about five seconds later, Trey resurfaced out of the water. "Took ya long enough, Trey!" Said Manik, slightly annoyed by his friend missing his wicked awesome dive, "What kept ya?" "Sorry if I took so long," Trey apologized cheerfully, "This thing's hard to put on by myself sometimes, especially when I'm crammed in a tiny little changing booth!" Manik raised an eyebrow. "Hard to put on what?" He asked, "What kind of bathing suit takes _ten minutes_ to put on?!" Trey grinned, then floated up onto his back. "This kind." His legs were covered by what looked like a long, Turqoise scale-covered fish tail, much like that of the mermobians of legend. The tail itself was designed with so much detail that it looked like Trey really _had_ sprouted fins and transformed into a mermobian. His two cousins were mesmerized by it, but Manik remained unimpressed. "Trey, listen to me very carefully; Did you or did you not make a deal with a sea witch while you were in that changing booth?" He asked, playfully, "'Cause if you did, you're screwed even if you don't follow through with it!" Trey chuckled, then put his tail-bound legs back in the water. "No, Manik, that's only in the movie." He replied, "Besides, she wouldn'tve been able to even come in cause I was in the 'boys' changing booth, squirming all over the place trying to slip this thing on!" "What's it made of?" Melody asked, "It looks so realistic!" "PVC fabric." Trey answered, "but it's custom-molded to look and feel like a _real_ mermobian tail. Even the tailfin itself is made with realism in mind!" "Where'd you get it?" Skye asked. "My dad ordered it for me off the internet." Trey responded, "I told him I would totally swim in it whenever we went to the beach!" Manik looked at him as if a proboscus was poking out of his mouth. "And so, despite how 'masculine' that thing even _can_ make you look, if at all, you dad _agreed_ to this?" He asked, sarcasm reflecting in his voice. Trey nodded. "Yeah, of course he did." He replied, "He said I should always just do what feels right, and not let what others say tell me to do otherwise." "My dad always says to keep calm and walk on," Skye interjected, "And to always try to do my best, no matter what, 'cause that's the only thing that matters." "He also tells you to watch where you put your tails, too!" Melody chimed in. Skye cringed, his cheeks going red with embarrassment. "What about your dad, Manik?" Trey asked, "What does _he_ always tell you?" Manik looked out towards the east pier, then back to his friends, and said with a smile, "Only that evil never triumphs. That no matter what, the good guys always come out on top, no matter how bad things get. That's how it worked for him when he was our age." "I heard he was known as the 'True Blue Hero of Mobius'." Said Trey. "He still is!" Manik responded, "Except, replace the word 'hero' with 'king' and even then, he's still the hero! He's not afraid of _anything_!"

"Sonic, let go of the pier!" Jake scolded, getting irritated now by Sonic's lack of cooperation. "NO!" Sonic cried. A 49-year-old mobian ocelot boy sat on the edge of the pier, next to the support beam that Sonic was clinging to, eating a bag of honey-roasted peanuts. He had bright yellow fur with black spots all over, black hair that was longer than it was when he was younger, which now meant medium-length, bright yellow colored eyes, and wore a black 'Rock of Underground: Live on Broadway' t-shirt, tan cargo shorts, and wore sienna flipflops on his feet. "Sonic, c'mon." the ocelot said, "You're being _really _uncool right now." "Thank you, Riley." Jake told him, then turned his focus back on Sonic, "Anyways, Sonic, you're acting like a child! Your own fourteen-year-old son is more mature than you're being right now." "Yeah?" Sonic snapped back, desperation taking hold of him, "Well, at least my son's not a fa-" "Whoa, TIME OUT Sonic!" Riley intervened, preventing Sonic from saying a _very_ intolerant and derogatory word, "Think about what you're going to say before you say it! What if Sally heard you say what I think you were about to say?" "Yeah, Sonic," Jake added, his anger rising, "Think about what you say about _my son_ before you say it." "Dude," said Riley, "I only said that in the first place 'cause Sonic was about to call your son a fag." Both Sonic and Jake jerked their gaze at Riley, glaring in shock. "RILEY!" They both yelled simultaniously. "What?" Riley asked innocently, "I was just telling you that I was preventing Sonic from calling your son that." Jake growled angrily. "Riley…" He said through gritted teeth, "Are you _stupid_ or something?" "Yeah, Riley?" Sonic added, wanting to draw attention away from the issue at hand, "Did you eat a bowl full of paint chips for breakfast this mo-" Jake then finally lost his cool and bellowed at Sonic, "**SONIC, I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL**-" he was suddenly silenced mid-sentance by a short, but very violent-sounding coughing fit. Riley stood right up as Jake grabbed onto the edge of the pier for support as he coughed some more. He eventually stopped coughing and started wheezing for breath, his hands trembling once more. He then started taking deep breaths in an effort to settle down. Once he felt like he once more had enough strength to tread water, he let go of the pier. "I-I'm sorry about that…" He apologized, "I shouldn't have gotten too riled up." "Jesus in a racecar, Jake!" Riley exclaimed, "Do you have like, _Tuberculosis_ or something? Cause that's a very-" "RILEY!" Jake began, but stopped himself for a moment and thought, then instead asked, "Riley, would you mind fetching your wife Amy for a moment, and before you do, ask her if she brought that 'Book' of hers?" Riley looked at him quizzically. "'Book?'" Jake motioned for him to bring his ear closer. Riley did so, and Jake whispered something in his ear. "Huh? What, _that_ thing?" He asked, "Dude, it's like with her hammer; she brings that thing _everywhere_!" "Well, then tell her to bring it over here, will you?" Riley nodded, then ran back towards the beach. Sonic looked to Jake worriedly. "Jake…" He began, "What kind of book are you having Amy bring over here?" Jake turned to Sonic. "Sonic, remember when Sally mentioned that she told me to use 'any and all means necissary' to teach you to swim?" He asked. Sonic nodded. "But then why-" Sonic began, but was interrupted by Jake saying, "Ah, Amy, so good of you to join us. Would you mind showing Sonic here that special book of yours that wrote sometime after he and Sally married?" Sonic looked up towards where Amy stood over him, a big, hardcover book tucked under her arm. She held it out in front of his face, showing what the title read. "'200 things I've always wanted to do to Sonic,'" Sonic read aloud, "'By Amy R. Rose.'" "Show him page 34, if you wouldn't mind." Jake instructed. Amy obediantly turned to the desired page, then showed it to Sonic, looking very proud of herself when she did so. Sonic's eyes widened with horror when he saw what was on it. It was an _incredibly_ well illustrated picture of himself, with his arms bound neatly behind his back in leather armbinders, his legs tied together with leather straps, a ball gag strapped tightly in his mouth and a black leather blindfold covering his eyes, and Amy, kneeling over him, wearing a black latex dress with a short ruffled skirt, black elbow-length latex opera gloves, and long, black leather high-heeled boots that reached to her thighs, and holding his arms by a long leash, licking him in a rather suggestive manner, while drool dribbled down his chin from having the gag stuffed in it. (At the sight of this, Sonic now knew that he should probably put out a restraining order against Amy.) "There's plenty more where that came from…" She cooed seductively, licking her lips afterwards. Sonic now clung to the support beam tighter than he was earlier. "Thank you, Amy." Jake told his overly-obsessed deviant of a friend. She then closed the book, and nodded with a polite smile, but then turned briefly to Sonic to shoot him one final seductive gaze. "Now, here's the deal, Sonic." Sonic looked back to Jake as he spoke. "If I have to prompt you even _once _to cooperate, then I will allow Amy to take you home tonight and commit all 200 of the acts illustrated in that book of hers. Do I make myself clear?" Sonic looked to him, then back at Amy, who stuck out her tongue suggestively, then cried, "Th-th-this is BLACKMAIL!" Jake then put his face dangerously close to Sonic's then said, "_anything_ and _everything__ necissary,_ Sonic."

_To be continued…_


	3. Chapter 3: Tormenting Nightmares

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapter will also apply to this chapter and all subsiquent chapters.**

**Reader Descretion is advised**

**Chapter three: Tormenting Nightmares**

_Sally walked through the darkest parts of the surrounding forests. The moon was hidden by the dark clouds in the sky, and the only light source she had was her flashlight. The chipmunk/squirrell hybrid woman looked around as she walked. It was very cold out, and wearing just her simple blue vest and boots seemed now, in hindsight, not the kind of clothing to wear in this kind of weather. "Manik!" She called out, "Manik, sweetie, it's mommy! Where are you?! I told you not to go this far out into the forest!" She heard a crow cry while flying over her and jumped. She breathed heavily for a few seconds, then got a look of determined realization on her face. _Get a hold of yourself, Sally!_ She thought, _You're better than this. Nothing is going to jump out and grab you. All the stories and legends you've heard about this part of the forest are just that; stories and legends. There's no bogeyman, there's no shed mauler, and there's certainly no Slendermobian!_ She then heard a loud crack and turned around quickly with a shriek. There was nothing behind her. She then turned back around and looked to the ground at the source of the noise. A broken twig lay underneath her left boot. She took a sigh of relief. "Don't scare me like that." She thought out loud. Then she heard another noise. A noise that sounded like something scuttling about. "Wh-who's there?" She called out, "Sh-show yourself!" She looked all around and saw no one. She then turned back to the direction she was walking in and pressed on. As she went deeper into the forest, she noticed that there were a lot of spiderwebs covering the branches of some of the dead trees around her, as well as the ground. She brushed a few cobwebs out of her face as she walked. "Ick! Ugh! What's with all these webs?!" She wondered aloud as she brushed more of them out of her way. She then hit her right foot on something. She looked on the ground and saw a big, silk cocoon, about the size of a small mammal. Curious, she crouched down and examined the cocoon, she turned it over and gasped. There was a small rabbit tail poking out of it. And, there was a bite mark on the part of it where she assumed was where this poor critter's neck was. She stood back up and looked at it, mortified. "What kind of monster could've done this?" She asked, again to no one. Suddenly, a cold chill went up her spine. She felt something touching her sides, several things, actually. These things felt cold and thin as they touched her fur. Her breathing became heavier and shallower. She then looked down at her sides. There were black, slender, shiny, bug-like limbs touching her, eight in total. Her eyes were now as wide as dinner plates, and her pupils now pinpricks. Slowly, she turned around, and gasped in horror. There was a huge, massive, black spider hanging in front of her from a thread of silk, and it was what was prodding her just now. She was literally frozen in fear. She was always afraid of spiders. Whenever she saw one, regardless of how big it was, she would freak out. Now she was faced with one that was almost as big as an SUV. Suddenly, it grabbed her, and quickly pulled her up high into the web-covered trees to where it's massive, baseball diamond-sized web was. She screamed in true terror as it started wrapping her in it's sticky silk. "H-HELP!" She screamed, "SOMEONE, PLEASE! S-S-SONIC! HELP ME! SONI-Mmmmmhhhhh!" she was quickly silenced by the silk wrapping around her muzzle, clamping her mouth shut. Soon, the giant spider had finished. She was now completely wrapped from head to toe in spider silk, save only her eyes. It then stuck her to it's giant, sticky web and then scurried off to a corner. Sally kicked, she squirmed, she wiggled, but couldn't get free no matter what she tried. She screamed and hollared, but was always muffled by the sticky silk covering her mouth and holding it shut. She eventually stopped squirming and started crying. The tears flowed out of her eyes and down her silk-covered cheeks, but curiously fell up from them. She then looked directly in front of her and saw that she was stuck to the web upside down, facing the ground. Then, she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. The pain felt almost unbearable, like something was trying to dig its way out through her belly. More screams, ones of pain, this time. She then watched as a huge bulge grew on her belly. She was so horrified that her pupils were now almost the size of the eye of a needle. She then let out the loudest scream she had left as she heard the gut-wrenching sound of flesh ripping open as something burst out of her stomach. She had her eyes closed for a brief moment as tears streamed from her eyes like waterfalls. When she opened her eyes, however, she saw something looking into hers… Something that had been haunting her nightmares for the past seventeen years._

_Mecha Sally, her roboticized alternate persona, was looking at her, it's head poking out of the huge, bleeding hole in her belly. It slowly crawled it's way out of the hole, and then was dangerously close to Sally's body. The hole in Sally's stomach then quickly healed, as if it hadn't been ripped open in the first place. The murderous robot version of herself looked directly into her eyes, then, with it's slim, shiny and pointy fingers, took off the silk that covered her mouth and nose. "What do you want now?" Sally, whimpered, "Why do you keep tormenting me like this?" "Because," Mecha Sally responded, it's robotic voice cold and unforgiving, "No matter what you do, you can never quite get rid of me… Of the pain… Of the hurt… Of the acts of chronic and sustained cruelty you commited as me." Sally then glared at the mechanized metal she-beast. "I'll never be you again!" She barked "You hear me?! NEVER! LEAVE ME ALONE, GODDAMMIT!" "You sure about that?" The voice sounded different this time. It sounded like she normally sounded. She looked back in front of her. Sally was no longer bound in silk, but instead standing in sort of a black, blank space, and then gasped when she saw the speaker…_

_It was herself._

_Her unroboticized self._

_However, this version of was wearing a black, shiny, skintight bodysuit with the emblem of the Eggman Empire printed on the front of it, and also looked at her with a cruel, yet seductive-looking gaze. "Wha-What're you-" Sally stopped speaking for a moment and listened to how her voice sounded. It sounded metallic… automated…_

_Robotic…_

_She brought her right hand up in front of her and looked in horror. It was entirely roboticized. She brought her attention to the other her, who pulled out a mirror and held it in front of her. "Look at how beautiful you are now." The other her cooed. Sally saw now what she looked like. She was Mecha Sally again, but this time she was still self-aware, seeing as how she was completely horrifed. Her digital blue eyes held not a gaze of cruelty, but instead fear. "N-no…" She whimpered, her voice metallic sounding, "No, please god no… No… NO!" she was then pinned to the ground, not by this other her, but instead by a more familiar face._

_It was Sonic…_

_But this Sonic wore the same kind of bodysuit that the other Sally wore, and shared a similar gaze as her. "S-s-s-Sonic?" Sally stammered, "Why are you-" The other Sonic smirked, sadistically, and pinned down her limbs. "You've always known it, Sal." He said, "You've always known that you would never, EVER get rid of the memory of this part of your life." The other Sonic then stroked Sally's metal coat, and made his way down to her hips. "S-stop it…" Sally pleaded, "Sonic, stop it!" He then started touching the crotch plate of Sally's metal body. "Sonic, NO!" She yelled at him, "Don't touch me there! Get off of me!" "Then make me get off." He challenged, cruelly, "Force me off with your mechanized strength. Nothing stopped you from doing that years ago, what's stopping you now?" Sally hesitated. "N-no…" She whimpered, "I couldn't…" "Well then…" the other Sonic then forced himself on her, "I guess I get to find out what if its biologically possible to fuck a robot!" He grinded his body against hers, but it was only after a short minute of this that Sally snapped. She shoved him off of her, then pinned him to the ground with her strong, steel-coated limbs. Then, she started beating him on the head. She thought she heard words coming from him, they almost seemed like he was speaking in strage tongues. She brought her sharp, metal fists together and brought them down on his forhead repeatedly. She struck again and again, screaming and hiccuping between uncontrollable sobs, which still sounded like they were covered by a metal coat. Splashes of red covered parts of her vision, which may have been blood. Eventually, her striking movements slowed, and she snapped out of her bout of uncontrolled rage. She then looked down at her handywork, mortified at the sight of it. Sonic lay there underneath her, his emerald green eyes glazed over, forever frozen in a horrified gaze. There was a massive, bloody dent in his skull, that was about the size of a kiwi fruit, and revealed pink, blood-soaked greymatter underneath the fractured pieces of skull. She got off of him and held his broken head in her arms. "No…" She then embraced it, crying nonexistant tears, screamed "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_

_Acorn Castle_

_2:43 A.M._

Sally jolted awake, her fur completely drenched in sweat to the point of looking like she'd had a bucket of water dumped on her. She took deep, gasping breaths, as if she had almost been smothered to death in her sleep. Sonic woke up instantly and sat up beside her. "What's wrong?" He asked, worriedly, "Did you have a bad dream?" Sally looked to her husband sitting beside her in bed, then threw herself on him, sobbing all the while. Sonic stroked her back as she did so in an attempt to soothe her. "I-I j-j-just c-c-c-c-can't…" She tried to speak, but sounded inconprahensible between sobs. "It was about Mecha Sally again, wasn't it?" He asked. Sally took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. "I-I just can't get rid of her…" She whimpered, "It's like she's trying to come back and take over again. I… I hate her…" She then grabbed one of her pillows and threw it across the room furiously. "**I HATE HER**!" she screamed. Sonic then embraced her in a warm, comforting hug. "Hey, calm down. It's okay," He told her, reassuringly, "The nightmare's over now. I'll never ever let that happen to you again." Sally looked into his eyes, her tears subsiding. "You promise?" He smiled back sweetly. "I promise." He said. They then locked lips in a passion kiss, which brought them both back in a laying down position on the bed. The kissing then stopped. "Besides, It probably never will happan again!" He told her, "After all, Eggman's been dead for twenty-five years! Remember? I defeated him, during that final battle for Planet Mobius?" Sally's mouth looked on the brink of a smile, but her lips stayed the same. "Yeah… You're right." She said, "I have absolutaly nothing to worry about! After all…" She planted a kiss on Sonic's forehead. "No one, evil or no, can ever come back from the dead." She then turned to her right side and rested her head on her pillow. Eventually, she was taken by peaceful slumber.

To be continued…


	4. Chapter 4: Premonition

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapter also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters**

**Reader descretion is advised**

**Chapter Four: Premonition**

_Lara-Su woke up on the ground in the ruins of what was once a bustling city. She quickly stood up, looking around. "Where am I?" She wondered aloud, "Is… Is this Mobotropolis?" if it had been Mobotropolis, it looked absolutely desolate now. The buildings looked like they had been gutted like freshly-caught trout, the sky was blanketed by dark, hazy clouds, embers floated around in the wind, large fissures in the ground here and there revealed glowing rivers of boiling lava, and the air smelled strongly of ashes, so much so that Lara-Su's nose and lungs burned whenever she took a whiff of it. She coughed from the ashy smell of the air. _What happened here?_ She thought, _did some kind of war go on while I slept last night?_ Before long, she found herself standing in front of what was once Acorn Castle. She stopped right at the front gate, well, what remained of it anyway, and paused to take in the scene of devastation that lay before her. Suddenly, she heard a faint moaning sound. She looked down and gave a short shriek. _

_It was Manik._

… _Or at least, it might have been Manik at some point, but now it was this creature that looked like it had nearly been incinerated to death, it's fur, skin and spines burnt clean off, it's eyes entirely black, crying tears of blood, emitting zombie-like moans. It's own legs were apparently missing, as was everything else below it's waist, so all it could do is crawl and bleed. "M-Manik?" She stammered, "I-is that you? Are you okay?" Suddenly, Manik grabbed Lara-Su's left ankle. Lara-Su tried shaking her leg free of the creature's grip. "L-let go!" She yelled, "Quit it!" finally, she had shaken free of the zombified Manik's grip and ran in the complete opposite direction of the castle. As she ran, she noticed more mobian Zombies wandering the areas around her. They all reeked of ashes and rotting flesh. She was so mortified by the sight around her, that she wasn't paying attention to where she was going, as she almost tripped and fell into a vast lava pit that opened up in front of her. Luckily, she was able to regain her balance in time not to fall into the glowing, bubbling red abyss. Then, the stench of rotting flesh and ashes became stronger. She turned around, and now realized how fucked she really was right now; she was completely surrounded by the scorched creatures, so now it was either be eaten alive by them, or be burnt alive in the lava. "N-no… S-stay back!" She screamed. Suddenly, she heard a voice talking to her, not connected to any body, but sort of echoing in her mind. It said:_

"_All this will eventually become possible after tomorrow, for a war is coming…_

_A war the likes of which Mobius has yet to have seen…_

_A war that will, in it's process, destroy everything you've grown to know and love…_

_Lara-Su…_

_You must prevent this from happenening…_

_It is your destiny…"_

_When it had finished, the ground she was standing on gave way, and almost fell into the pit, but grabbed onto the ledge at the last second. She held on with all of her might, trying her best not to let go. "H-HELP!" she cried, "Someone, please! I'm gonna fall!" she then saw her father's hand extend down to her level. She took it, expecting him to be coming to her aid. "Dad!" She exclaimed, pulling herself up, "Thank god you're here! For a second I thought I was-NYAAAAAAHHH!" she shrieked as her father's corpse fell right over her shoulder and into the fiery pit below. She covered her mouth with her left hand, while her right held on to the ledge. Suddenly, she felt her grip weakening. And then, with a loud crumbling noise, the part of the ledge she was clinging on to broke off, and she screamed as she plunged into the pit of molten hellfire._

_Lara-Su's house_

_That next morning…_

Lara-Su jolted awake, panting and sweating profusely. She glanced around, realizing she had woken up in her own bed and not on the ground. Speaking of that, she looked outside her bedside window and saw that the morning sun was shining brightly outside. There were no clouds, no ashes, no volcanic embers, just pure sunshine. _That dream…_ she thought as she got up, _was it a nightmare? Or perhaps maybe a premonition? _ She then got undressed and hopped in the shower. She stood for a moment and let the hot water wash over her face and body, a relaxing sensation rolling through it. She then dried off and got dressed, putting her glasses on last. _Whatever the case, _she continued to think, _it would probably be worth mentioning to someone. I don't know exactly who yet, but someone… _ she then walked down the stairs to the living room to find Clash sitting on the couch, watching the news, while her parents were in the dining area/kitchen, making breakfast. The faint smell of whole-wheat blueberry pancakes wafted into the room (Her parents were both HUGE health nuts, so meals like this were common.) "Morning, Mr. Connor." She greeted, walking through the living room and into the dining area, "Mornin' kiddo." He replied. She then walked into the dining area and sat at the kitchen table, helping herself to some pancakes. "Morning, sweetie." Knuckles greeted, "Did you sleep well last night?" She had almost taken the top off of the reduced sugar maple syrup when she heard her father ask that. She immediatley froze, contemplating whether or not to tell him about her dream the night before. Before she could even get a chance to do so, the front page of the morning newspaper was dropped onto the middle of the kitchen table. The front article was titled: '_Dogtag Murderer Strikes Again!_' Knuckles looked down at the front page article that Clash had dropped in front of him. "The recent victim was a friend of mine," Said Clash, sitting down at the table, "Staff Sergeant Drake Hansen. Him and I served together in Afghanistan in Operation: Sand Viper during the Silver Bullet wars." Julie-Su looked down at the article with a look of concern. "They _still_ haven't caught that maniac yet?" She asked. Clash shook his head. "He's already killed eight people and he's still out there, plotting his next victim." Lara-Su picked up the newspaper and read more of the article. "It says here that every single one of his victims so far have been members of G.U.N. armed forces," She said, "And that according to the police reports, every victim was stripped of their dogtags. The latest victim was apparently shot in the back of the head at point-blank range with a nine-millimeter handgun." "Not only that," Clash added, "But I've been noticing a pattern in his victims." "What sort of pattern?" Knuckles asked. "All this guy's victims were G.U.N. soldiers who were involved with a certain mission ten years ago." Clash answered. Knuckles raised an eyebrow. "What sort of mission?" He asked. Clash looked at him sternly, remaining completely silent. "Lemme guess…" Knuckles said sarcastically, "It's classified, isn't it?" "More like one of the biggest, most covered-up military scandals in the entire history of the G.U.N. Armed Forces." Clash answered. There was a bit of a silence, until Clash broke it by saying, "Well, I'd like to stay a bit longer and chat, but I have somewhere I gotta be right now." "Where could you _possibly_ need to be today?" Knuckles asked. "The Freedom Fighter Memorial," Clash answered, standing up from his chair, "I'm gonna be paying my respects to Col. Stripes and the others." He then walked out of the kitchen and out the front door to his car, which was a night-black '75 Chevy Camaro with a red racing stripe going down the front. Once Clash was gone, Lara-Su then got up herself and got herself a cup of orange juice and gulped it down. After that, she then said, "I'm going to go out for a bit." "Why?" Julie-Su asked, "You didn't even have any pancakes." "I'm not hungry right now." She quickly answered. "But they're your favorite." Knuckles said. "I'll have something later." She replied again. She then kissed her mother and the cheek then rushed out the front door, stopping only once to say, "Love you!" and then she was off. She needed to go somewhere where she could think for a bit without being disturbed. Fortunately, Spot Pond at Locke Park was just the place for that, seeing as how she and her friends often hung out there by themselves since they were kids. As she ran, she kept getting this odd feeling that the Dogtag Murders and the future she was shown in her dream last night were somehow connected, which seemed completely ridiculous. And then there was the issue of that military scandal made by G.U.N. ten years ago. All this just didn't seem to add up…

And yet she had no idea what was about to happen today…

Not a clue…

_To be continued…_


	5. Chapter 5: The calm before the storm

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapter also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters**

**Reader Descretion is advised**

**Chapter five: The calm before the storm**

_An alleyway_

_Downtown Mobotropolis_

A simple, dark alleyway. Many kinds of things could go on here; a drug deal, a mob hit, a raping, or even just some drunk laying around after happy hour. However, in this particular alleyway, something else is going to happen.

A bright white flash overtook part of the alleyway, and with it, a figure started to materialize, bringing with it distorted cries of pain , that stopped when it had finished materializing. He was mobian, yes, but he was what looked like a quillpig, chocolate-brown fur, blue eyes, and had his spines splayed out all over the place, so that each individual prickle was it's own. He also wore a dirty grey tanktop underneath a bluish-grey cargo jacket with the Thorndyke Industries logo printed on the back of it, brownish-tan pants, white mobian gloves with one of the fingers missing, and sneakers that looked like they had been red once but had faded over time. He also wore a tan duffel bag on his back, as well as a sky-blue collapsable hoverboard. Once he had finished materializing, he fell to his hands and knees, panting in deep gasps before vomiting. "S-slight… tingling sensation my ass!" He got out finally, "That fucking hurt! Zeke, you asshole!" He then got up and looked around. "This… yes, this is definitely Mobotropolis." He said. He then pulled a small, blue handheld device out of his left coat pocket that looked almost like a small, compact computer and flipped it open. "Let's see how far back they sent me…" He said, and then pressed a few buttons on the keyboard of the device. It then displayed the current date. "June 18th, 3265." He read aloud, "Damn. They sent me to the _exact_ day of the beginning of the war instead of three years prior." He then put the device away and sighed. "Oh well…" He said, "Looks like I'll just have to wing it for now." He then walked out of the alleyway and walked the streets of the city. _I suppose one of the first things I should do is look for Sonic,_ he thought, _I'll need him, as well as Lara-Su. Yeah… It's absolutely vital that I find her._ He looked up at the bright, blue sky above. _It's a clear day out today…_ he thought again, _I'd almost forgotten what sunlight was like._

_Acorn Castle_

_A few minutes later…_

Sonia finished brushing her hair as she got ready for the day. She was going to hang out with her girlfriends today at the mall, where they would go shopping and possibly even have their hair done. She ran out of her room and down the steps to the kitchen to get a quick bite to eat before heading out. She had just taken a box of pop-tarts out of the cabinet when she noticed her mother standing in the doorway. She would've paid it no mind, but then she noticed her glaring with her arms folded, tapping her left foot on the floor. "Ummm… Morning mom. How're-" Sonia began, but Sally then interrupted with, "Sonia, we need to talk. Have a seat." Sonia put the box of pop tarts on the counter and obediantly sat on one of the chairs at the kitchen table. "So, what's this about?" Sonia asked innocently. Sally walked over to the front of the table so that she was facing Sonia, then explained. "Sonia…" She said, "This morning I caught a few of our guards huddled around a smartphone belonging to one of them, snickering all the while. I asked them what they were laughing at, and they told me that it was some photos they were looking at on Chirper. After I had confiscated their phone, I looked at what they were laughing at, and guess what I found?" Sally then pulled the aforementioned phone and showed her the photos in question. Sonia winced when she saw one of the photos; it was of herself in nothing but her underwear, sitting on a bed, with her crotch facing the camara, stroking the front of her panty daintily with her forefinger, a seductive, but possibly drunk look on her face. She looked at another one, seeing herself chugging down a 40-ounce bottle of vodka, while Vicky cheered her on. "As you can see," Sally scolded, "Not only did you lie to me about sleeping over at Lara-Su's after her unveiling, but you were also drinking and fooling around with older men. This is _**NOT**_ the kind of behavior that the possible future heiress to the throne should be exhibiting." "But mom," Sonia whined, "What if I don't want to inherit the kingdom? What if I want to just live a normal life?" "First of all," Sally answered sternly, "That's your uncle Elias talking, and second giving in to peer pressure like you did is _not_ what normal girls do, royaty or not!" Sonia looked down at the table for a moment, thinking, while her mother continued, "Now, I've already had a talk with Vicky's father, and he's almost as upset at her as I am of you." "So, I suppose I'll be grounded then, huh?" Said Sonia. Sally looked at her for a moment, as if she had said a _really_ bad word. Just then, as if on que, Manik dashed into the room, rambunctious as ever. "Mornin' mom!" He greeted, "Mornin' sis!" "Morning, sweetie." Sally replied. And with that, she got an idea. "Manik," Sally began, "What are your plans for today?" "Well, me Trey and Skye are all going to go to that diner we like for lunch today," He explained, "And we're all going to pool our money together to pay for it." Sally touched her chin, indicating that she was thinking, then looked back to Sonia, and said, "Sonia, I think I have just figured out how to punish you." Sonia looked fearfully back up to her mother. "H-how?" Sonia asked, afraid of the answer. "Today, you are going to take your brother and his friends to their favorite diner," She answered, "And _you_ are going to pay for their meal with your life savings instead!" Sonia went wide-eyed. "**WHAT**?!" She exclaimed. "And…" Sally continued "They will be allowed to order whatever they want, in whichever quantity they want!" "Really?" Said Manik, his eyes lighting up with joy. "That's not fair!" Sonia whined, "Just ground me! Take away TV, internet, cell phone, uh, something! Anything!" "No." Sally replied, "Because if I do any of that, you won't learn. Hopefully, this punishment will teach you not to ever do things like _this_…" She slid her finger across the touch screen of the phone, revealing another photo of smut, "… Ever again." Manik peeked down at the photo. "Hey…" He said, "Is that Mrs. Lien-Da in that photo?" Sally's face went from upset to surprised in an instant when she looked down at the photo her son pointed out. Sure enough, there was Lien-Da, sporting her usual shiny black latex catsuit, a very drunk look on her face, holding a riding crop, whil she was positioned right next to Sonia, who was wearing a bright purple latex butterfly top with sleeves and finger parts and also covered over Sonia's mouth entirely, a black leather corset that looked like it had been tighted to the point of making Sonia's breasts bulge out, long, latex leggings that were the same color as the above the chest-covering top that had holes to reveal her butt, which had nasty-looking lash marks on it that were most likely caused by the aformentioned riding crop, and a zipper where her genitalia was, and bright, bubblegum pink high-heel boots. She apparently also had a look on her face that indicated a combination of pain, erotic pleasure, and drunkeness. Sally looked at the photo, a blank expression of shock on her face. "Mom?" Manik asked, "Are you alright?" Sally snapped back to reality and replied, "I'm fine, sweetie… But I _might_ have to have a bit of a talk with Mrs. Lien-Da later." Just then, Sonic walked in, yawning. "Morning, all." He said mid-yawn. "How is everyone today?" suddenly, he spotted the scandalous photo of his daughter in bondage gear being spanked by Lien-Da. His cheerful demeanor then turned to shock and possible anger when he said, "What the hell?" "Sonic, don't worry about it." Sally reassured him, "I'm handling it." While Sally's back was turned, Manik decided to taunt Sonia while he helped himself to a bowl of cereal. Just as Sonia had just gotten a bowl out from the cabinet, Manik began with, "So, I guess you're sort of my personal servant today, aren'tchya?" Sonia, giving in to the taunt, and also acting without thinking, yelled "SHUT UP, DWEEB!" and threw the bowl at Manik's head, causing him to fall out of his chair and cry out in pain. Sally immediately turned her attention to her son being possibly injured and ran to him. "Manik!" She exclaimed, "Sweetie, are you okay?" Manik rubbed his forehead where the bowl hit. "I would if Sonia hadn't thrown a freaking bowl at me!" He answered. Sonic then looked to Sonia, scolding her by saying, "SONIA! That was _not_ cool!" Sally then inspected Manik's forehead. She saw that he had a bit of a bruise on the right side of his head. "Sweetie, you have a…" Sally began, but then stopped mid sentence as she saw Manik's bruise cave in on itself, revealing the blood-soaked greymatter within, as blood poured from the wound like a waterfall. Her eyes turned wide with horror as she had a total recall of the nightmare she had last night; the beating, the near-rape, and worst of all… Her. Sally's breathing picked up speed as she heard 'her' voice in her head, whispering "Kill him…" over and over again, the way a seductive lover would. Sally shook her head as tears gushed out of her eyes and screamed, "**NO I WON'T**!" "You won't what, mom?" Sally snapped back to reality and gazed back at Manik, who was completely unharmed save only the simple bruise on his head. "J-just…" Sally stammered out, "Just put some ice on it, okay?" Manik nodded, still puzzled as to why his mother had freaked out like that. Sally stood back up, leaning against the table for support, trying to catch her breath for a moment. She then looked to Sonic for a moment, who in turn looked back to her, concerningly, and then walked out of the kitchen and down the hallway. Sonic looked back to his daughter, then said, "I'll talk to you in a moment." Then ran after Sally as she made her way to the front door of the castle. "Wait, hold on!" He said as he finally caught up to her. "Where are you going?" "For a walk," Sally answered, "I need air… I ne… I need to be alone, I… I…" she then threw open the door and ran off, kicking off her high heels so she could run better. "Sal, wait!" Sonic exclaimed, but stopped himself from running after her, as he thought, _It was her again… That goddamned Mecha Sally. She's right. She probably just needs time to herself so she can calm down._

Sally stopped running when she reached the middle of one of the forests surrounding the castle, falling to her knees as she wept. _You know you'll never get rid of me…_ She heard the other her coo in her ear, _You know this deep in your heart. Sooner or later… I'll come back, and I'll make you hurt your friends again._ "**SHUT THE FUCK UP**!" Sally screamed at the voice (Which, to any passerby, would make it look like she was completely mad, screaming for no reason.), "**I WON'T BECOME YOU AGAIN**!** YOU HAVE NO POWER OVER ME ANYMORE**! **JUST SHUT UP ALREADY**!" She panted for a moment, catching her breath after her brief bout of screaming. Suddenly, she heard someone approaching. Instictivly, she picked up a nearby stick and turned to the intruder, holding in in front of her like a sword. She then looked relieved as she saw that it was just one of her guards. "Your highness…" The guard said, "Is everything alright? I heard you screaming." Sally looked at the guard for a moment, then looked at the stick she was wielding like a mad forest woman, then threw it aside and replied, "I'm fine, I just… I just saw a spider is all." "May I walk you back to the castle?" The guard asked politely, offering his hand. Sally thought for a moment, then answered, "Sure… I guess." She then took the guard's hand and walked with him. Everything seemed fine after a few minutes of being escorted… That is, until she noticed the smell. "Guard?" She asked, "What is that smell?" The guard stopped walking, then replied, "What smell?" Sally took a whiff of it, then answered, "It smells almost like air freshener, that has the scent of flowers and-" Sally stopped mid-sentence when she realized that she recognized this smell. She smelt it once before. It was a smell she hadn't smelled since…

25 years ago…

"Flower-scented stink gland deodorant…" She said softly, now realizing who this person really was, and wishing that she had kept that stick she threw away earlier. She let go of the imposter's hand as he took off his helmet, revealing his face that bore a nasty burn scar on the left side of it. "Geoffrey St. John…" She said, fear showing in her voice. The shady skunk grinned evily. "Your highness…" He greeted, bowing mockingly. Sally was about to run away, when Geoffrey grabbed her left hand tightly. Sally struggled to get free of his grip. "Let me go!" She screamed, "Let me go! **LET ME GO**!" Geoffrey then pulled out a raygun-looking device that looked similar to the phazers from Star Trek: the next generation, and fired it right in her eyes. The device shot a wide, multicolored beam straight into Sally's eyes. Sally's struggling grew weaker, just as her body did. She felt herself getting so weak, she could hardly stand upright. Suddenly, she found it hard to put thoughts together, let alone words. "Stuh…." She struggled to get out, "Stuh… staw… stawp… huh…. Huh…. Hel.. help… me… uhhh…. Muhhh…" Finally, her mind had completely succumbed to the dastardly device, as if it had turned completely into pea soup. Geoffrey released his grip on the trigger, causing the multicolored beam to disappear, and revealing Sally's eyes, which were now overtaken by a constantly flowing ripple pattern that was the same shade as her own eye color. After a moment of stumbling aimlessly, she finally collapsed, falling to the ground, her eyes still locked in that strange trance. Geoffrey looked down at his handywork with satisfaction, then smirked as he said, "That was _dreadfully_ easier than I thought it would be. And here the boss said I should've brought backup." He looked to the direction of the castle, then to the city, then pulled out a small orb-shaped device. Next, he pushed a button on the top of it, causing it to beeb softly while a red light built into the button blinked on and off. He then threw it aside, and said, "Now, once I get 'Little Miss Sally' to the boss, the invasion…" he brushed some hair out of his face for a moment and finished, "… Can begin."

_To be continued…_


	6. Chapter 6: Where's Sally?

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapter also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters**

**Reader descretion is advised**

**Chapter Six: Where's Sally?**

_Acorn Castle_

_One and a half hours after the events of the previous chapter…_

Sonic stood on the balcony connected to his and Sally's room, looking out towards the city. It was a great view from there; you could see the Mobotropolis skyline, as well as Thorndyke tower, which looked pretty at night. However, none of that mattered to Sonic at the moment, as something else was on his mind. Sally hadn't come back from her walk, and Sonic was starting to get a little worried. Not only that, but he also felt strangely uneasy, as if something big was about to happen and he didn't know if he and his friends were ready for it. As if Mobius itself was about to change and he didn't know whether it was for better or for worse. Just thinking about all this was enough to give Sonic heartburn…

That, or it was the chilidog he had for lunch earlier getting it's revenge.

"Your highness!" Sonic snapped from his bout of deep thought and turned to the doorway to the room to see one of his guards standing there. "Oh, hey, uhhhhh…" Sonic never really took the time to learn the names and ranks of each and every one of the members of the royal guard, so for the longest time he either guessed or asked them himself. "Corporal, sire," The guard finished for him, "Corporal Wingate." "Oh, right! Sorry. Uhhh, Corporal…" Sonic retorted, "You… wouldn't have possibly seen Sally anywhere, would you have?" Wingate shook his head. "No sir." He answered, "I haven't seen her since this morning. Why do you ask?" Now Sonic was extremely concerned. He had asked five other guards the same question and the answer was the same each time. "Your highness…" Wingate continued, "One of your friends wishes to speak with you." "Oh… Well, send him in." Obediently, Wingate left the room for a moment, and came back in accompanied by Riley, who had a large, square-shaped guaze bandage on the left side of his forehead, sporting a single stain of coagulated blood, which judging by the look on his face, he was _NOT_ very happy to have. Sonic looked at Riley, then at Wingate, who took the hint and left the room. He then refocused his attention back at Riley and asked, "Riley, what happened to you?" Riley narrowed his eyes in a glare, then responded, "If you really must know, I hit my head on the bedpost of my bed." "How'd you manage to do that?" Sonic asked quizically. Riley sighed, then joined Sonic at the balcony, leaning against the edge of the guardrail. "You remember yesterday when you and Jake made that little 'deal' where if you complained during your swimming lessons Amy would take you home that night?" "Yeah." Sonic answered, "Why do you ask?" "Well, because you were so well-behaved that day, Amy didn't get to take you home, and that made her a little 'disappointed', so much so that when me and her got hom that day, she forced me to commit at least two or three of the acts that book of hers. So, losing what was still left of my dignity, she dressed me up in a latex costume, the design theme of which was based on you…" "Hold on!" Sonic interrupted, "There's a latex BDSM costume based off of me?" "Yes Sonic!" Riley snapped back, "There's a latex BDSM costume based off of you! In fact, there's been all kinds of merchandise based on us ever since we saved Mobius for good! There's been t-shirts, coffee mugs, action figures, video games, hats…" "Oh yeah, I think I might have seen someone wearing a Sonic hat in the park once," Sonic interrupted once more, "I swear, I really oughta have some kind of approval of this sort of thing." "**ANYWAYS**…" Riley yelled once more, "Once I was all dolled up in a sex costume based on you, Amy then proceeded to tying me up like in the picture she showed you that day, and started to spank me with a flogging crop, and at the very fifteenth spank, I slipped and hit my head on the bedpost, which gave me a gash on my head. So, after undressing me of the gimp costume, we got out the first aid kit and bandaged my head like you see here." There was a short pause before Sonic responded with, "So, _why_ in the name of god damn does Amy have a latex fetish costume of me?" Riley sighed irritably. "Sonic…" He began to explain, "About a month back, me and Amy were having sex, and the minute she started jackhammering, she blurted out your name. At first, I dismissed it as a slip of the tongue, but as we went on, she kept saying your name, begging 'you' to continue and to 'make her your sexy little bitch' ." "So, what's your point?" Sonic asked, starting to get concerned for his friend. "My point," Riley replied, "is this: somehow, I have the feeling that Amy _**STILL**_ hasn't quite gotten over you yet, that she still carries feelings for you, and that she still wants you. And she's probably going to do everything in her power to try and get you to ride her like a rodeo cowboy." "So, what do I do then?" Sonic asked. Riley reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a stilleto knife and placed it in Sonic's hand. "What is it?" Sonic asked. "A switchblade." Riley answered as Sonic accidentally deployed the blade, "It's for self-defense. If at any point Amy tries to touch you in a place or in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable, then use this to slash her hand so you can get away." Sonic looked at Riley, then down at the knife. He slid the blade back into the handle then put the knife away. Riley then said, "I just thought you ought to know some things. Peace." He then turned to walk away, but Sonic stopped him for a moment. "Riley, wait!" He said. Riley turned around almost instantaniously. "What?" He asked, slightly annoyed. "You… You wouldn't have happened to see Sally anywhere, would you have?" Sonic asked. Riley shook his head. "No. I haven't." He answered, "Besides, she's _your_ wife. Shouldn't _you_ be the one keeping track of her?" "I have been!" Sonic retorted, raising his voice slightly, "I've asked six of my own royal guardsmen and they all said the exact same thing you just did! I think…" Sonic gulped hard before he continued, "… I think something might have happened to her." Riley's expression went from annoyance to concern at the thought of something happening to his first-ever friend. "I think we should gather the others." Said Riley. "You do that," Sonic replied, "Spread the word to the others. Tell them to gather at the castle courtyard. I'll explain the situation to them when they come." Riley nodded. "Right." He then dashed off. Sonic then turned back to the direction of the cityscape and looked out towards the city skyline. He started getting that sinking feeling again, followed by heartburn.

Then again, he had heartburn during the entirety of the previous conversation.

Yep, definatly the chilidog.

_To be continued…_


	7. Chapter 7: Spreading the word

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapter will also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters.**

**Reader descretion is advised.**

**Chapter Seven: Spreading the word**

_Robotropolis sewers_

_36 years earlier…_

_A brave, foolhardy group of heroes snuck through the sewers of the bedamned city, led by a then-younger Commander Clash, who was pointing an XM16E1 Colt Commando with an attached underbarrel grenade launcher in front of him as he led his troup. Back then, his hair was a walnut brown, and he had a few scars on his face from the war, one going down his right eye, one across the bridge of his nose, and two more forming an X on his left cheek, and his attire included a long red bandana worn on his head that closely resembled the one that Solid Snake usually wears, a grey tanktop underneath an olive drab military jacket, black fingerless gloves with brass studs on the knuckles, Vietnam war-era camoflage pants, kneepads, black combat boots, ammo pouches that he wore on his left thigh, a gun holster on his right thigh that held his personal Colt M1911 that he used during the war, and a Ka-Bar knife in a sheath that he wore on his left shoulder. _

_The other three with him were all mobian, much like most of the members of the resistance at the time. The first was a hedgehog. He was about 27 in age, not much older than Clash was, and had greyish-blue colored fur, green eyes, and was missing a good number of the quills on his head due to his 'Quill Mange' that he had developed in his late teens, which had caused most of his quills to fall out. He had only managed to grow back a few of them, and they grew in short prickles on various parts of his head. He also wore a black leather biker vest with a design of a flaming acorn on the back of it, a pair of faded, tattered jeans, brown sneakers with a silver buckle strap, a set of shotgun shell bandoliers, and two brown leather sheathes that held a set of sawed-off double-barreled shotguns that he dual-weld like they were pistols. He also had a tattoo on his left bicep of a purple, blonde-haired hedgehog wearing nothing but a camoflage bikini and holding an M1 Garand in a way that suggested… stuff. Underneath the woman was a name that read 'Bernadette' which was the name of his sister. _

_The second mobian was a badger woman, about 22, which was fairly young for this group of fearless rogues. She had pink fur and blonde hair that was long and flowing, and wore a purple PVC leotard with lavender leggings and matching elbow-length gloves, a utility belt worn loosely around her waist, and had a katana sheathed on her back._

_ Finally, there was the third mobian; a siberian husky, male, about 33, very large for a mobian his age, for he was almost as tall as a fully-grown human, grey and white fur colorations, had a long scar down his left eyeand down to the bottom of his left cheek, bright blue eyes, wore a Soviet Muthalandic Red Army uniform with the sleeves torn off, black combat boots, a single Makarov pistol in a holster on his belt, an NR-40 combat knife in a sheath worn on his left thigh, and had an RPD light machine gun slung over his back. He also had a brand on his right forearm of the number '115' which was his prisoner number from back when he had been doing time in Vorkuta. Clash pulled out a holographic map from his left coat pocket and turned it on, showing the layout of the Robotropolis sewers. "Okay, guys," He said, "If this map that Private Scales managed to snag us is anywhere near accurate, we should be pretty close to the Swatbot Master Control Room." "Good," Said the badger, "That means less time in these damned sewers. UGH! It's gross in here!" "Yeah…" Said the hedgehog, "It also means we can get finally get some payback on Robotnik for everything he's done!" Clash turned to his teammate and said, "Easy, Harper. You'll get your payback, you just have to be patient." Harper growled under his breath, then shrugged. The large husky behind him chuckled and placed his hand on Harper's shoulder. "Something tells me that comrade Harper iz a leetle bit too eager." He said in his deep Russian accent. Harper jerked his shoulder back. "Whatever, Reznov." He snapped, "I just want justice for what he did to my sister." Reznov's gaze narrowed. "And I vant justice for vat he did to my men, as vell as my family." He replied sternly. "Will you boys stop arguing?" The badger intervened, "It's _REALLY_ cramping my style." "Honey's right." Clash added, turning back towards the direction they wear headed in, "If we argue, then what good is our cause? That's just what they want." _

_As the group continued through the sewers, they started noticing a foul odor. "Ugh!" Said Honey, wrinkling her nose, "It smells like shit in here!" "Well, we _are_ in a sewer!" Harper replied, grinning slightly. "That's not what I mean, smartass!" Honey snapped at him, smacking Harper's right arm. "I am not thinking that sewer vaste is to blame for smell." Said Reznov, who had stopped all of a sudden. "Why's that?" Asked Harper. Clash directed the two quarrelling Freedom Fighters to a grisly, horrific scene to their right; dozens of bodies, all primarily mobian, laying in piles all around, riddled with bullet holes and signs of decay. Harper grimaced, turning his head away, his fists balling up in rage. Honey vomited on the ground. Reznov bowed his head in sorrowful respect. Clash simply did the same and put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. "Look well, Freedom Fighters…" He said solemnly, "This is what happens to those who oppose Robotnik's will." Harper growled, then barked, "Then I say we enact step seven right now! RAISE HELL!" he charged ahead, but Clash stopped him, slammed him against a wall nearby, and pointed his pistol underneath Harper's chin. "Harper…" Said Clash under gritted teeth, "We __**DO NOT**__ alter the plan. Either you accept that, or you can go home now. Clear?" Harper glared back at Clash, then said, "Clear." Clash let go of him, then holstered his pistol once more. The group then continued until they reached a barred-off area. Reznov sneered. "Allow me, my comrades." He said. He then walked up to the bars and bent them into the shape of a doorway. He then stepped aside and made a motion for his teammates to follow. "After you." He said politely. Honey giggled. "Why thanks, sweetie." She said as she passed him. Clash put his hand on Reznov's shoulder for a moment as he passed, saying, "Thanks, big guy." Harper simply grunted and scowled as he passed. The group then came upon a ladder that led up to a drain grate above. "Here it is." Clash said, "The Swatbot Master Control room." he then looked back to his teammates, then said, "I'll go first, just to make sure it's safe." He then pulled out his pistol and pulled on the slide, loading it. Next, he climbed up the ladder until he reached the drain grating, looking upwards and quietly listening for a moment to make sure no one was inside. _

_Silence._

_Clash made the 'Follow me' tactical gesture to the others, then slowly and silently lifted the grating up and over onto the floor above. Next, he poked his head up, checking every direction with his pistol at the ready. The entire room was slightly dark in most areas. He climbed up onto the floor of the room, helping his teammates climb out of the sewers into the room shortly after. Clash holstered his pistol and held up his rifle. Then, he got out his communicator relay radio and talked into it. "Stripes, this is Clash," He said, "We're in. Are you and your team ready?" The only response Clash got from the other end was complete silence._

"_Stripes…"_

"…"

"_Stripes, come in!"_

"…"

"_Answer me, Goddamn you!"_

"…"

_Clash threw down the radio in frustration. "Dammit!" He cursed, "Why the fuck is he not picking up?!" Clash heard the soud of Reznov readying his machine gun. He looked to his Soviet comrade, who was pointing the machine gun at the darkness. "Ve are not alone, comrade." He told him. Clash looked ahead and saw he was right. About a dozen red eyes glowed from the cover of the darkness. Clash pulled on the loading handle of his Colt Commando and aimed the sights at the middle of the first pair of eyes he saw. Harper pulled out his two double barrels, the barrels of which each had their own specific engraving; the engraving on the one in his right hand read 'Great Vengeance' while the engraving on the one in his left read 'Furious Anger' and whats more, the wooden body of both shotguns had the entire 'Ezekiel 25:17' prayer line straight out of Pulp Fiction painted on it in gold paint. Honey drew her katana and held it at the ready. Suddenly, all the lights in the room went on, illuminating it entirely. As it turned out, they weren't in the Swatbot Master control room at all, but rather a very large warehouse. And they were surrounded by about a dozen Swatbots, their blasters all pointed at them. "Aw, fuck!" Yelled Clash, "__**IT'S A FUCKING SET-UP**__!" Harper looked to Clash, then asked, "Plan B?" Clash blew a puff of smoke from his cigarette, then answered, "Yeah. I got a plan B…" He put his left hand on the trigger guard of the underbarrel grenade launcher, then put his left pointer finger on the trigger of the launcher. "Let's frag some Swatbots." He then pulled the trigger, launching an armor-penetrating grenade round into the swatbot in front of him, blowing a huge hole through it's torso, straight out of Looney Toons. He then opened fire on several more of the metal monstrousities. Reznov managed to mow down a few himself with his light machine gun. Harper charged right in and started blasting each Swatbot hew saw in the face with his double barrels, which sported armor-piercing shrapnel rounds. "__**C'MON**__!" he yelled, "__**FUCKING ROBOT SONS OF BITCHES**__!" Honey hacked through about two Swatbots, then impaled a third. However, when she pulled the sword out of the belly of the Swabot she just stabbed, her eyes went wide with horror. In moments, the others had managed to take down the entire squad of Swatbots that had ambushed them. "That's it?" Said Harper, reloading his double barrels. "Seriously?" That's not even a full platoon!" "Rather peculiar, vouldn't you say, comrade Clash?" Clash looked around, then looked back to Reznov and answered, "Yeah. That's what scares me." "Guys…" Honey ran over to them, "I think this situation isn't what we think it is…" Clash narrowed his brow. "Why's that?" He asked. Honey took shallow breaths, then held up her sword and showed it to her teammates. The rest were shocked when they saw what was on the blade._

_Blood…_

_It was blood…_

"_What the fuck?" Said Clash. "Last I checked," Said Reznov, "Robots don't bleed when you destroy them." for the first time in about a year, Clash felt a cold, flash of fear go through him. he then ran over to one of the Swatbots he shot up. It lay in a large pool of the crimson liquid. He slowly lifted the head cover of the robot, then went wide-eyed with horror when he saw what was under it…_

_ Col. Stripes lay there, his face holding nothing but a blank, emotionless expression, his eyes glazed over. Clash's hands trembled as he checked Stripes' pulse._

_Nothing._

"_Th-The fuck?" Clash stammered, his cigarette falling from his mouth. He then jumped back to his feet and checked a few more swatbots, as did the rest of his team._

_MP Walker…_

_Sgt. Pecker…_

_8-Bit…_

_Cpl. Scorch…_

_Agent Spot Long…_

_Kiki…_

_Lt. Buckshot…_

_The only two missing were Wess Rabbot and Private Trey Scales. The rest were just regular citizens, possibly prisoners that were scheduled to be executed. Honey held Sgt. Pecker's limp form in her arms, weeping. They were going to marry after they had defeated Robotnik. Reznov knelt down beside Spot's body. The two of them were good friends, plus he had owed his life to him for breaking him out of Vorkuta. Clash knelt down by Col. Stripes' side. He then tore Stripes' dogtags from his neck and clutched them in his hand. Harper was now rightfully pissed off. "__**UUUUURRRRAAAAAAAGHHHHHH**__!" he yelled, running off, "__**ROBOTNIIIIIIKKKK**__!" __** "**__Harper, wait!" Honey called after him, about to give chase, but was stopped short by Clash grabbing her arm. She looked to him, astonished. "B-but…" She stammered, but Clash simply shook his head, telling her it was probably a fool's gamble. "This was his plan all along…" Clash said solemnly, "lure us here and make us kill off our own, thus making his life more managable. But, this also means…" he let go of Honey's arm and then continued, "… That one of our own is a traitor. Someone not among the dead." Reznov looked up in realization. "Private Scales…" he said. Clash shrugged angrily. "That squirelly little reptile." He said. "So, do we go after him?" Honey asked. Clash thought long and hard on this, weighing every possibly outcome in his mind. Finally, he gave his answer._

"… _No."_

_Honey looked at him in shock. "Wuh-why?" She stammered, but was interrupted by Clash pointing at Pecker's corpse and yelling, "'Cause then we'll end up like them!" Tears welled up in Honey's eyes. Reznov remained silent. The sound of hard rain falling could be heard outside. "As of now…" Clash said, "… The Rebellion against the Robotnik Empire is officially disbanded." He clutched the dogtags tighter. "We can't do this anymore…" He continued, "It's gotten way too dangerous. I have a family back in Station Square; a wife, a son, Goddammit!" he breathed in and out deeply. There was a long silence. One could say that it was so great of a silence, that one could hear the souls of the dead rising to heaven. Finally, Reznov broke it by saying, "So, this is vere ve part ways, yes?" Clash looked to him, closed his eyes briefly, then nodded. The three rogues then looked to each other one final time, then parted ways, each going a different direction._

_Never once would they ever see each other again…_

_At least, not in the realm of the living, that is…_

_Freedom Fighter Memorial_

_Mobotropolis national cemetary_

_Present day…_

Sometime after the defeat of Eggman, Commander Clash, the last living member of the Original Freedom Fighters, proposed to the royal council itself that a memorial be built to honor the brave warriors who gave their lives to lay the foundation upon which the Freedom Fighters the Mobius of now came to know would be based on. Needless to say, it was approved, and in less than a year, the Freedom Fighter Memorial was built. Clash actually came personally and gave a speech that was so memorable, that it would be remembered for generations.

It's design was basicially a huge, sedan-sized granite obelisk that had the names of all the Original Freedom Fighters engraved on the side of it, as well as their date of birth, their past military/freedom fighter missions, and their rank if they were formerly military. At the bottom of it was a plaque made of cement and brass that had weathered over the years that still read:

"_War is never fair. But sometimes, you just got to make up your own rules to win."_

_-Col. Tig L. Stripes, Acorn Royal Guard_

Clash stood in front of the monument, thinking back to that day in the rain years ago. He got out a cigar from his jacket pocket, then lit it with his old lighter from the days of the great war. Next, he knelt down and placed it at the very base of the monument, right above the plaque bearing the wise words of his former brother in arms. He then got out Col. Stripes' old dogtags, which were still stained with his own blood and offered them as well. "I'm sorry, Stripes…" he said softly, "I'm sorry." "Sorry fer' what?" Clash turned around with a jolt, slightly startled by the newcomer. "Jesus, Bunnie!" He bellowed, "You damn-near gave me a heart attack." The cyborg cowgirl giggled. "Wouldn't surprise me considerin' how old ya are, sugarcube." She replied. Clash grinned back. "Yeah?" He retorted, "And how old are you? 47? 48?" "Hmph!" Bunnie sneered back, "Yer' just jealous 'cuz Ah still got mah beauty!" and she was right. For someone at the age of 50, Bunnie did still look fairly young; her long, flowing hair was still the same butter-yellow blonde, her waistling was still very trim, practically no wrinkles whatsoever, and her roboticized left arm and legs where shiny and sported a newer metallic magenta paint job.

However…

"Hey Buns…" Said Clash, noticing a certain 'feature' of Bunnie's for the first time in years, "Is it just me, or have your breasts gotten bigger in the past week?" Bunnie blushed from embarrassment. It was true, though. For some reason her breats had increased in size since the week before. "Th-that's none of yer buisiness, y'hear?" She stammered quickly, covering her enlarged boobs with her denim vest. Clash chuckled. "So what brings you here?" He asked. Bunnie then regained her composure and replied, "Well, Sonic needs us all to meet him at the castle courtyard." Clash raised an eyebrow. "Whatever for?" He asked. "Ah was told that it was somethin' urgent." Bunnie explained. Clash stood up and sighed. "Well, hell…" He said, following Bunnie out of the cemetary, "If it's anything like that 'lost wedding ring' incident, why not? I could use a good walk through the woods."

_Prower Manor_

_Noble's Village_

_That same moment…_

Jake sat about a foot away from the toilet, breathing in short gasps. Blood dribbled from his mouth from vomiting a moment ago. He gazed down at the clump of fur that came off of his left arm in his hand.

_His_ fur…

Suddenly, someone rapped on the bathroom door. "Jake, are you in there?" Tails asked from the other side of the door. Jake glanced at the door. Fortunately, he had locked the door, but he also knew he had to finish up what he was doing in a timely manner. "Are you okay?" Tails asked with growing concern. "I-I'm fine…" He managed to get out, reaching for the medical bag that lay at his right. He got out a fresh syringe and plunged the needle into his left arm, once again pumping the medicine into his system. After the syringe was empty, he took it out of his arm, and was just about ready to dispose of it, when all of a sudden, he started coughing again. _What?!_ He thought, _But I already gave myself the medicine! Do I maybe need to up the dosage?_ Precauriously, he got out a second needle and plunged it into the same spot on his arm. After the medicine had gotten into his system, his symptoms went away almost instantly. However, the patch of skin where the large clump of fur came off of his arm remained. He then checked his blood toxidity level, and was instantly horrified. _Blood toxidity level: 60%_ something was wrong. He couldn't already be at that level in less than a day. _Damn thing's probably broken._ He thought, putting the meter away. He then cleaned up after himself, flushed the two used needles and the clump of fur down the toilet, along with all the blood he had puked into it. He then knocked back on the door, and answered his brother with, "I'll be down in a moment, I just need to finish up in here and then get dressed." "Alright…" Said Tails, "I'll wait downstairs." As soon as Jake was sure Tails was downstairs, he washed all the blood out of his mouth, then unlocked the bathroom door, and walked to his and Katelyn's bedroom and walked over to the wardrobe. He knew that his usual armor didn't have sleeves, so his sudden loss of fur on his arm would be visible, so, he decided to wear a silverish-blue bodysuit underneath his armor. After he had finished putting everything on, and braiding his hair into his ponytail, he walked downstairs (He had to knock on Lita's door as he walked by to tell her to either turn her music down or put on headphones, because she had 'Coming Home' by Elena Siegman blasting at a rather ungodly volume on her stereo.) and found Tails and Mina there, as well as young Melody, who instantly ran over to him. "Uncle Jake!" She exclaimed, hugging him. He glanced down at her for a moment, then smiled slightly and patted her on the head. he then returned his gaze to his brother, then asked, "So what's up?" "Sonic told me to get you and to help spread the word out to all of us to come to the Acorn Castle Courtyard." "Why?" Jake asked. Tails looked down for a moment, then answered, "Because…"

_Echidna Residence_

_557 Cherrygrove Street_

_Also at that same moment…_

"… Sally's missing?" Knuckles asked, "What do you mean, 'Sally's Missing'?!" "Look, I don't how else to tell you…" Clash argued, "It's just what I was told on the way here, alright?" All of a sudden, Bunnie, who literally standing a foot to Clash's left at the dinner table, said, "Oh gawd, gotta go to the bathroom. Berightback!" She then dashed off to the downstairs bathroom, slaming the door shut behind her. The sound of her puking could be heard from the kitchen. "Mother of Acorn, again?!" Said Clash, "This is the third time she's needed to puke the whole time I was with her today." Julie-Su looked to the direction of the bathroom with great concern. "Welll, anyways…" Clash continued, "Sonic wants us all to meet at the castle courtyard." "Really now?" Knuckles retorted, "And just why's that?" "Well," Said Clash, "It appears to me that's he's…"

_Lien-Da's Flat_

_4321 Pinewood drive_

_Also also at that same moment…_

"… What, like rallying the troops?" Lien-Da questioned. Riley just stood there, his mouth wide open, looking at her. Lien-Da was lay there, lounging on her couch, wearing nothing, absolutely _**NOTHING**_ but a black lace corset, painting her nails and knuckle spikes with a dark purple nail polish. Seeing Lien-Da almost completely nude was starting to slowly make his member grow erect underneath his tan cargo shorts. Lien-Da, sensing that Riley was being an idiot, then barked, "Are you even paying attention!" when she did this, she immediatle jumped to her feet, causing a massive boob jiggle. At the sight of this, blood gushed out of Riley's nostrils like a fire hydrant. "D-dark gaia… Mephiles!" He stammered, attempting to stop the bleeding with his left hand. Lien-Da raised an eyebrow, cluelessly. "Why are you bleeding?" She asked. Riley opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by her saying, "You know what, forget I asked. It's probably because of something stupid or other." She sighed, placing the vial of nail polish down on the coffee table that was in front of her. "Lemme get dressed first. Then we'll go." She then turned and walked up the stairs to the upper walkway where the doors to her room and Rutan's rooms were. She opened Rutan's bedroom door and yelled, "Rutan! I'm gonna be going out for a bit. If I find out that you got into my porn drawer again, there's going to be trouble, capisce?" Rutan remained silent, as blood shot out of his nose like a firehose. "And do something to stop that bleeding," She added, walking into her own bedroom, "I'm not paying another 60 rings for another trip to the emergency room." while she got dressed, Riley heard her call out, "And Riley, I swear to Almighty God, you better not be bleeding all over my carpet, or I'm going to seriously kick your…"

_Ubercharge Motel_

'_The Valley', Mobotropolis_

_Also, also… Yeah, you get the idea…_

"… Ass…" Fiona groaned as she _once again_ woke up in a cheap motel with a wicked bad hangover, completely naked, and absolutely no recollection as to how she got there. She stumbled to the small bathroom, then collapsed in front of the toilet and puked into it. She then pulled herself up using the sink counter as leverage and looked at her reflection in the mirrior. Same reflection as always, except she had a black eye on her left eye, which meant she most likely got in a fight with someone the night before. She went over to the dresser and went into her purse and got out a bottle of aspirin, and popped about three or four of them in her mouth. She then fell back onto the bed and just laid there, waiting for the pills to kick in. She was then rudely interrupted by the loud ringing of her cellphone, the ringtone of which was 'Not ready to die' by Avenged Sevenfold. She moaned in pain as the sound of her phone was intensified tenfold by her hangover. She crawled over to where her phone was, and answered it, saying, "Who the fuck is this?"

"…"

"… Hello?"

"… Fiona?"

Fiona's ears perked up with interest when she heard the once familiar voice on the other end.

"Jake Prower..." She answered, a sly smile coming to her face, "How long's it been?"

"Long enough." Jake replied, sternness in his tone, "And for good reasons."

"Oh? What kind of reason could justify not seeing an old friend in years?"

"You hurt me twenty-five years ago."

"Hurt you? Oh, that whole 'Scourge' fiasco?"

"I had been under the impression that time that you loved me."

"Well, Jake, I just happen to dabble in being a bitch is all."

"Yeah, speaking of that, how's Scourge doing?"

"… I don't know, nor do I care. He can go die for I care."

"… You broke up with him?"

"Yeah, for a good reason, too."

"A 'real' reason?"

"He was cheating on me."

"… So how does it feel coming from the other end?"

"Yeah, rub salt on my wounds, why don't you? You're such a great friend."

"I just called to tell you that if you're willing, enough… If you want to give us a chance to trust you again…"

"Look, Jake, I'd like to hear more, but I got a terrible hangover right now, and I'm more focused on piecing together what I did last night, so I gotta go. Nice talking to you again, though, sugarfox."

At the very utterance of that old petname, Jake hung up on the other end. Fiona put the phone down and just lay on her belly, staring into space. Suddenly, she got a massive migraine. At first, she thought it was the hangover again, but then she heard the sound of a voice… A voice that had said…

"_Ascension… from the ashes…"_

Fiona lay there on her back, panting. Her fur was completely soaked with sweat, while at the same time, she was cold, shivering even. "Wuh…" She she stammered out weakly, "… What the fuck did I do last night?"

_To be continued…_


	8. Interlude one: Hero

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers also apply to this minichapter and all subsequent chapters**

**Reader descretion is advised**

**Interlude 1:**

**Hero**

_Heroes…_

_For ages, Mobius has seen many heroes come and go, but one hero in particular has stood out the most._

_His name is Sonic._

_Sonic the Hedgehog_

_Time and again, he has saved Mobius from certain peril, and has often done so with the help of his friends._

_People all over the planet look up to him, idolize him, even!_

_However…_

_Sometimes…_

_Even the mightiest of heroes meet their match…_

_And they fall…_

_And when they fall…_

_The sky falls with them…_

_-From the desk of Miles Prower_


	9. Chapter 8: Old wounds

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapter also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters**

**Reader descretion is advised**

**Chapter Eight: Old Wounds**

_Airship Genocide_

_78 kilometers outside of Mobotropolis' airspace_

Sally regained conciousness, or rather, lack therof, strapped to a metal table of some kind. The only thing visible to her primary field of vision was the multicolored ripple-pattern tint that kept obscuring her vision. She also found that she couldn't move at all as her entire body was completely numb. She couldn't even move her eyes, or even speak for that matter. The only thing she could really do at all was listen and watch. Suddenly, she heard a door opening in front of her. After a moment, however, she heard voice say:

"Hello there, your highness…"

The voice sounded so sinister, so cold and cruel, yet at the same time, it seemed so familiar.

However, she'd never met this person before…

Right?

She heard the footsteps of the man as walked to an area to her right, and then heard a mechanical hum. After she heard that, the table she was strapped to started to rise forward, so she could faintly see what was in front of her. She could make a figure in front of her. The figure was very tall, looked almost like an overlander male. The only three features that Sally could make out with her distorted vision was that he had semi-long sand-red hair, the pale skin…

And the eyes…

The man's eyes were green with black corneas, and held nothing but sadicism and cruelty.

"Queen Sally Acorn…" The man said with a sneer, "My, how you've grown." The man moved in closer to her, getting close to her face, so that her eyes met his. "If you're wondering where you are," The man said, circling her like a shark, "The answer is that you're in a holding cell on the Airship Genocide, a mighty, fearsome air vessel designed entirely by me. And as you're probably already aware, your entire body has been rendered completely immobile and defunct." The man moved in closer to Sally's left side. "Why, I could pinch your arm…" The man pinched Sally's left forearm hard, leaving a red mark on it, "… And you wouldn't feel a thing"

"Now," he went on, "The question that's probably burning in your mind right now is probably 'who are you, and what do you want?' Well, originally, I wasn't going to tell you, but since I'm in a good mood right now, what with my plan going so smoothly so far, I suppose I will give you the courtesy of knowing the name of your captor." The man then leaned over and whispered his name into Sally's left ear. Upon hearing the man's name, Sally's ears slowly fell flat against her head. The man smirked cruelly. "Yes…" he said coldly, "You're afraid, aren't you? The involuntary movement of your ears shows this. It also seems as if you're scared of something else… almost like…" The man got a look of realization on his face, then said, "Of course… You're harboring a demon inside of you. One that you've been trying to keep at bay for years since she last came out to play. I will admit though, it was pretty impressive for that fatassed walrus friend of yours to have created a device that he and your pathetic friends used to de-roboticize you, but at the same time, I'm also shocked that it was only able to work the once. How touching that it's first and only use would be on you, my little squirrell queen." The man chuckled, then said, "Now, once we reach mobotropolis, I will unleash my new improved army upon it, and enact my vengeance upon your little friends, as well as your precious hedgehog. But, since I feel _ever_ so bad about your little 'inner demon' I'm going to make you a promise." he then hooked his left pinky finger into Sally's pinky finger. "I pinky promise that I will not kill Sonic when I wreak my vengeance on him." he then let go of Sally's finger. "Now then, your majesty, " the man said, "If you would excuse me, I have urgent matters to take care of." The man then turn around and walked out the metal sliding door. Although Sally couldn't move or speak voluntarily, her mind still tried to process what she had just heard.

_It can't be him… _She thought,

_It just can't be…_

_We…_

_We defeated him years ago…_

Tears streamed down Sally's cheeks as she continued her thought.

_But…_

_But if it is him…_

_Then…_

_He... Could…_

Sally's mind replayed the events during and after her roboticization, from the disarming of the world roboticizer, to every instance in which she hurt her friends as Mecha Sally.

And then she heard _her_ voice…

"_Looks like I might be able to come out and play again once more, doesn't it, Sweetie?"_

And with that, Sally let out a loud, hoarse scream of true terror.

Listening from behind the door, the man chuckled as he removed his cloak, revealing his body armor which bore his emblem. "Well, now…" He said, "Looks like she really _does_ have a demon inside her." He then smirked as he said, "Watch out, Sonic… Because you're about to witness my glorious return…" He threw back his cape, displaying the Eggman imperial emblem on his armor better. "That's right! I'm **BACK**!"

_To be continued…_


	10. Chapter 9: The Oncoming Storm

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapter will also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters**

**Reader descretion is advised**

**Chapter nine: The oncoming storm**

_Spot's Pond, Locke Park_

_Central Mobotropolis_

_Moments after the events of chapters 7 and 8…_

"A premonition?" David asked Lara-Su, as he picked up another rock, "You mean like seeing the future?" Lara nodded. "Yeah," She answered, "And in it, Mobotropolis, possibly even Mobius itself, was like… I dunno, like as if the Apocalypse had happened while I slept last night." David skipped the rock he had picked up across the surface of the pond. he then turned to Lara and asked, "You think it'll come true?" "I don't think it will." Argyle interrupted, "I mean, with a hero like Sonic as our King, there's absolutely _no way_ that so-called 'premonition' will come true. Besides, that stuff is a bunch of bullshit, anyway." "You know," Said Lara, looking slightly offended, "Commander Prower sometimes had premonitions like that when he was our age." "Yeah?" Said Argyle, pulling out his phone and opened up an app game, "Well, from what Trey has told me, Jake was a bit of an emotional trainwreck by the time he was our age." At that, Lara snatched up Argyle's phone with her Chaos powers and dangled it over his head. "H-hey, gimme that back, dammit!" He yelled, trying to reach for it. Suddenly, he felt something pull on his tail, causing him to trip. He turned around and saw David using his chaos powers as well. "Dude!" Argyle yelled, "Not fair! You guys aren't even supposed to be using your guardian powers outside of training anyway!" "I don't see Knuckles anywhere, do you?" David asked Argyle slyly. Lara-Su then ran away, levitating Argyle's phone with her powers as she did so. "If you want your phone back," Lara called back, "You'll have to catch-OOF!" she fell back after bumping into something. She then realized that when she did so, her glasses fell off. "Crap! My glasses!" She said, flustered, "Where are my glasses?" she crawled around on her knees, feeling around for them like Velma off of Scooby Doo. Just then, she saw a hand extend down in front of her nearsighted field of vision. "You dropped these." A voice in front of her said. Lara took her glasses out of the kind stranger's hand and slipped them back over her eyes. "Thanks, sir, I…" She stopped when she looked up at the man.

He was overlander, was probably about 6 feet tall, had light peach-colored skin, long, shoulder-length crimson red hair that matched the color of blood, and crimson eyes that matched the hue of his hair. He wore a white dress shirt underneath a light grey suit coat, with matching slacks, and brown shoes.

Lara looked up at the man precauriously. In turn, the man looked down at her, his gaze meeting her eyes. "Those eyes of yours…" He said, in an accent that sounded like it had once been a mix of German and Nicaraguan, but had been brutally transformed into lazy english by too much trans-atlantic travel, "… They hold in them such strength, such resiliance…" He narrowed his gaze at Lara, "If I were you…" He warned, "I'd watch who I showed those eyes to." He then turned and walked off, continuing in the direction he had been walking in before Lara bumped into him. Lara watched him as he left, her mind stirring up questions.

_Who was that guy?_ She asked herself, _And what was all that about my eyes? And what's more, why did I feel so… 'Afraid' when he looked in my eyes?_

"HEY!" Lara's train of thought was interrupted when she was joined by her friends. "Who was that guy?" Argyle asked after picking his phone up from where Lara dropped it. Lara shook her head. "I don't know…" She answered, "And honestly, I really hope I don't see him again." "Was he giving you bad vibes?" Argyle asked. "Yeah," Lara answered, "Like, _real_ bad vibes." There was a pause among the group, until it was broken by David, who had said, "How about we go to the diner for lunch?" Argyle and Lara-Su nodded in agreement. The three friends then walked off, discussing what they were going to have and whether or not they'd be able to afford it.

The red haired man had stopped for a moment to watch the group leave. He knew who these three teens' parents were without even asking them. He checked his watch. It was about 12:10. _Good._ He thought, _If I've outpredicted him well enough, Eggman should be just ready about to launch his attack soon._ The man smirked._ Perfect. Once he's done here, and once I've finished up everything else I need to do in this city, I can move on to phase two. _He then adjusted the eight bloodstained dogtag necklaces he was wearing around his neck underneath his shirt, then looked to the direction of the castle. "Things are going just as I predicted…" he said with a smirk.

_Acorn Castle Courtyard_

_That same moment…_

"As you all have been imformed…" Sonic began, explaining the situation to all of his friends, Freedom Fighter, Chaotix or what have you, "Sally has gone missing after going for a walk this morning. Now I-" Sonic saw that Riley was the first to raise his hand. "Yes, Riley?" Sonic called on him. "How do you know she didn't just go to the city or something?" he asked, raising a valid point. "Because none of us has seen her anywhere in Mobotropolis, idiot." Knuckles answered him, smacking the back of his head. "Thank you Knux." Said Sonic before continuing, "Now, I gathered you all here because, Goddammit, you all are the best we have… And you'll need to be! So, I decided I would split us all into teams and launch a full-on search and rescue. I will be the leader of one team, which will consist of-" "Hey, uh, Sonic, that sounds good and all," Clash interrupted, "And while I hate to ruin your _still_ child-like innocence, but… It doesn't exactly work like that anymore." Sonic looked to him, puzzled. "Why's that?" He asked. Clash cleared his throat, then continued, "Well, first of all, we're not the Freedom Fighters anymore. We stopped being them right after the Silver Bullet wars ended." He walked towards the front of the crowd, going on as he went. "That war killed a lot of good people… And I think I can speak for some or most of us when I say that some of us all lost someone during that gruesome, bloodbathed war…"

At that statement, a number of individuals had mixed reactions;

"May…" Vector muttered, turning his gaze down in sorrow, thinking back to how his wife was killed in the bombing of Sparkle Mall at the very start of the war.

Cream, who was now in her late twenties, sniffled, trying her best not to cry at the memory of losing a friend of hers during the battle of Tokyo that was a result of the terrorist attack on Kitskayushi, Japan, where their enemy at the time, The Siver Bullet Legion, set off high-density explosives in a dormant volcano that the small city lay at the base of, causing a massive eruption that killed thousands.

Charmy, 32, brushed some of his long, rocker-length hair off of a certain spot on the left side of his forehead and gingerly touched a few fingers to a nasty-looking scar from where he had been shot in the head during the overlander uprising in Mobotropolis nine years ago, which had resulted from a comment made by Sonic about the West Overlands' 'accidental' involvment in starting the war on live TV.

And Tails, who had lost his wingman in the Acorn Royal Air Force, Gary 'Goose' Bowman, during an air battle over the Emerald Coast Bay, simply looked away in sorrow and respect.

"Secondly," Clash continued, diverting the conversation away from a sad and controversial topic, "We can't just organize search teams without any idea of _where_ exactly to look. Nowadays, we have certain 'procedures and protocal' that we have to follow in situations like this." "Like what?" Sonic asked, still puzzled. "Well, for one thing…" Clash explained, "We have to try and pin down exactly _where_ and _when_ Sally went missing, and where she was prior to said incident. When that's done, we then organize a small search party to search saidticular area for any traces of her; hair, fur, clothing fibers, etc. At the same time, we would need to look for other things as well, such as bullet fragments/casings, fingerprints, signs of struggle (If any), basically, any kind of evidence we can use to pinpoint where she is, who's got her, and what they want with her. After that, when we have enough evidence or proof, _then_ we send in the troops and launch that dramatic rescue mission you probably were shooting for in the first place." "But she could be dead by then!" Sonic argued. "You don't know that." Clash responded, "For all you know, they could just be holding her for ransom." Just then, the holographic figure of Nicole suddenly materialized right in front of everyone. "Everyone, listen!" The mobian lynx-looking computer program exclaimed, "My scanners are picking up readings of an unknown aircraft inside our airspace." Clash raised an eyebrow. "An unknown aircraft?" He asked, "Could you elaborate?" "It may possibly be military…" She explained, "… And it bears no markings of any known military on the planet, and I know it's not one of ours." Clash looked at her for a moment, then looked to Sonic and asked, "Well, 'Your Majesty' what do you want us to do about it? It's your call." Sonic thought for a moment, and tried to imagine what Sally would do in this sort of situation. He then said, "Nicole, I want you to issue a Type B emergency alert: code orange." Nicole nodded, and said, "On it." Before dematerializing. He then turned to Clash and Jake, "Jake, Clash," He instructed them, "I want you two to get the Royal guard ready in case the people aboard that aircraft are meaning to start trouble." Jake nodded. "Yes sir." He said, saluting, while Clash responded with, "Atta' boy, Kid.". Finally, He turned to Riley and Amy, "Riley, Amy, since you two are now in charge of the Chaotix, I want you two to make sure they're ready as well." Riley grinned. "No prob!" He said boisterously. Amy simply smiled seductively at him and answered with, "Anything for you, cutiepiecupcake…" Sonic then flash Amy his wedding ring, then chuckled sarcastically and said, "Sorry sweetheart, but this hedgehog's already married." "You know," She added, "We still shouldn't rule out the possibility that she could be dead." "Well, if we find her and and she _is_ dead, then you'll be the first to know when my vasectomy is and when my daughter's coronation as queen is." Amy's facial expression then turned sour with disappointment, causing her to storm off angrily. As everyone was running around, carrying out their commands, Sonic got that feeling of foreboding he had earlier that day again. Except this time, it felt as though something worse than he could even imagine was about to happen…

Almost as if…

As if today was his last…

_To be continued…_


	11. Chapter 10: Mobotropolis Assault: Part 1

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapter also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters**

**Reader descretion is advised**

**Chapter ten: Mobotropolis Assault: Part One**

_Joe's Diner_

_East Mobotropolis_

_That same moment…_

"Manik," Said Sonia irritably, "There's absolutely _**NO WAY**_ you can eat all those chilidogs on your own."

Manik had already gobbled down half a basket of mozzerella sticks with his friends Skye and Trey, as well as an entire plate of fried mac and cheese balls. Now he was faced with a huge plate of chilidogs. He eyed the plate, drooling hungrily. Trey sat in front of him sipping a chocolate peanut butter milkshake, taking a break from his bacon cheeseburger (Which is a delecacy that he could only enjoy why he was hanging out with Manik considering how his father was a vegetarian and because of that his family only had vegetarian meals.), and Skye had just finished a HUGE slice of chocolate cake and said that he was stuffed, despite, however, the fact that that was the only thing he had ordered.

Upon hearing what his sister had just said, Manik responded with a phrase that pretty much summed up the entire situation:

"**FUCK YOU I CAN'T EAT ALL THESE CHILIDOGS**!"

Manik then started wolfing down chilidog after chilidog. Sonia cringed, getting a little grossed out by her little brother's eating habits. "Manik, I swear…" She said with great disgust, "If you ever stop running, you're going to become obese!" "Didn't your mom used to tell your dad the same thing when they were our age?" Trey asked, a sly smile on his face. Sonia growled irritably. "Shut up, geekoid." She retorted angrily, "I'm only doing this 'cause I'm being punished." "Oh, boo hoo, you think you have it bad?" Vicky cried to her from her counter stool, "My dad cut me off for what we did last night!"

She had her hair in a single ponytail today, and wore a pink 'Hello Chao' t-shirt that exposed a little bit of a middrift, tight blue jeans that excentuated the curves in her hips and butt, and white Sketchers sneakers.

Next to her sat Lancer, who today wore a black zipover leather jacket, dark blue jeans, black sneakers, and his usual orange tinted shades.

"Well, Vicks," Lancer retorted, trying to put logic into the argument, "You _DID_ kinda got a minor drunk, namely a princess. And plus, your father's running for re-election next year, and stuff like what happened last night would not look good for his reputation, especially considering the kind of person he used to be." "Didn't he used to be one of the bad guys?" Manik asked, swallowing a mouthfull of chilidog. Vicky looked to him and nodded. "Yeah," She answered, "He kinda used to be some kind of head general or something for some 'Robotnik' character. Him _AND_ my Uncle Gren both, in fact! Of course, my Uncle Gren was only a mere assassin fufilling his contract, he still got things done. He actually now runs security for my father's administration." "Does he still have that robot chicken with the goofy voice as his secretary?" Trey asked. Vicky shrugged. "Yes." She replied. Trey giggled. "That dude cracks me up every time!" He then cleared his throat and did an impersonation of the now re-employed badnik in question:

"'Mayor Sherrock, you have a call on line ten, AH-HAAAH!" He mocked, doing his best shrill-voiced rooster impression, "It's your daughter, your one-eyedness! She apparently got an underage princess krunk, AH-HAH-AH-HAAAH!"

Vicky glared at him with malicious intent. "I swear, Treyatte," She said through gritted teeth, "If you weren't a minor I'd-"

"Will you cool it, Vicky!" Lara-Su defended from the booth behind Trey's, "He's just a kid." "Yeah," David added, playing Pokemon White 2 on his 3DS, "This coming from someone who's got a kid crushing on him." Lara scowled at David. "Manik's barely a teenager, David!" She argued, "He'll grow out of it!" Argyle gobbled down another plate of hot wings. "God, I like the wings at this place!" He said, his mouth still a little full of food. Just then, the screen on the TV suspended on the ceiling to their left cut from a re-run of 'The Walking Roboticized' to a public service announcment. The voice of Nicole started to speak.

"_Attention citizens of Mobotropolis. _

_This is an emergency broadcast._

_His Royal Highness, King Sonic, has issued a Type B emergency alert._

_All citizens are advised to stay indoors or seek shelter immediately._

_Please stay tuned for updates as they are given._

_We now return you to your regularly scheduled broadcast."_

The screen then returned to the rerun, where it showed the fangirl-favorite character, Darren Nixon, firing a crossbow at a mindless roboticized mobian zombie.

Mixed responses from the group of teens broke out.

"'A Type B emergency alert'?" Manik wondered aloud, "whatever for?"

"I don't think we've ever had one since that nasty tornado passed by the city three years ago." Skye added.

"Ehhh, it's probably just another stupid drill." Said Vicky, dismissing it.

Lara-Su said nothing. Her mind thought back to her premonition the night before, wondering if it really _was_ going to come true.

Little did she know how right she really was…

_Meanwhile, at the Acorn Royal Guard Barracks…_

Sometime after the bombing of Sparkle Mall, Commander Clash and Commander Amedeus Prower (Who is now currently retired) re-armed and re-organized the Acorn Royal Guard. They were re-equipped with new primary weapons, such as the H&K G36C, the Enfield L85A1, the P90, the KSG shotgun, among many others, and their new secondary pistols, The FN Five Seven, The SIG Saur P220, and the Walther P99. Their old Royal guard standard-issue swords, however, had become nothing more than their standard-issue melee weapon. They were also outfitted with better equipment, such as advanced anti-ballistic armor, Tactical Communication Headsets (TCH, or "Techs"), as well as ordinance, such as transport vehichles, tanks, helicopters, jets, even UAV and Reaper drones!

Clash sat on a bench in the locker room, loading a Winchester Model 1887 lever action shotgun that he had brought from home, clad in the aformentioned advanced body armor, while Antoine polished one of the two swords he planned on using dual-wield-style if it came down to a fight. Clash pushed the lever pump back into place after he had finished, then slipped the shotgun into a sheath he wore on his back. He then got out a fully-equipped HK416 assault carbine and asked, "Hey, Twan' You notice anything about Bunnie lately?" Antoine looked to him, raising a single eyebrow. "Whatever do you mean?" He asked in his usual french accent. Clash loaded the rifle with a 100-round twin drum magazine, then continued. "I mean like, overall. You notice anything different about her looks, or her behavior, eating habits, etc?" Antoine thought for a moment, then answered. "Well, she did devour a burrito filled with leftover mac and cheese and spagetti-Os two days ago. Ozzer zan zat, no." Clash looked at him like he was literally speaking french. "Her, boobs, 'Twan." He said, "How could you not notice them? Not only that, but how could you not notice her nipples showing through her fucking leotard today? 'Cause I sure did!" Antoine looked at Clash sternly.

"Are you eyeing my wife?" He asked precauriously.

"What the fu-no." Clash answered him.

Antoine eyed him for a moment, then said, "Just checking. Because if you were, I would cut you like a cornish game hen." Clash smiled playfully, then stuck the barrel of his rifle underneath Antoine's chin, and said, "You show me your cold steel, I'll show you mine." Antoine smiled back. "I would hope we would never be on opposite sides of ze battlefield. You would, how you say, 'Dee-mall-lush' me?" Clash poked Antoine's left shoulder with the barrel of his rifle and said, "It's 'demolish' 'Twan." He then chuckled and added, "Ahh, Antoine. Don't ever change, pal. I'd hate to lose ya." Antoine took a playfull bow, then replied with, "Ze feeling is mutual, my friend." Just then, an alarm went off, and Jake's voice could be heard over the intercom.

"_Attention!_

_All active members of the Royal Guard report for deployment immediately._

_Hostile enemy activi-"_

_**BOOM!**_

Jake was interrupted by the sound of explosions coming from outside. Clash and Antoine immediately jumped to their feet. "What the shit?" Said Clash. The two then raced towards the front entrance of the building, while Jake's voice came back on the intercom.

"_Attention!_

_All available Royal Guardsman, Chaotix, anyone who can fight!_

_Load up and move out!_

_Mobotropolis is under attack!_

_Repeat:_

_We are at war!"_

When the two freedom fighter comrades-turned royal guard Soldiers arrived outside, they looked to the direction of mobotropolis, their eyes going wide with shock.

Multiple pillars of smoke could be seen coming from the city.

Antoine gulped hard, but Clash remained silent, before finally starting to bark out commands.

"Listen up, men! I want units deployed to every corner of the city! Leave no citizen unprotected! We're also gonna need aid from the city's police and emergency response teams! Also, I want our blackhawks and apaches in the air, and our UAV and reaper drones online! **MOVE, MOVE, MOVE**!" he then got on a nearby armored transport truck and hung on to a side rail on it's left side. "Let's go!" He yelled, as the truck drove off towards the city.

_Joe's Diner_

_Minutes earlier…_

David, Argyle, and Lancer had their eyes glued to the TV airing The Walking Roboticized rerun, commenting all the while. "Say," Said Argyle, "Isn't this the episode where Bill dies?" "I don't think so." Said David, "I don't think that happens until about three or four episodes after this one." "David's right on this one," Lancer added, "Trust me, I have all the episodes of seasons 1-3 on HoloBlu-ray. He doesn't die until episode 14, where he blows himself up with a frag grenade and takes down a bunch of robian zombies down with him so everyone else could escape the trainyard they were in."

While the boys were discussing that, Sonia watched with extreme disgust as Manik finished off the last chilidog on his plate. He licked off his fingers, then emitted a loud, audible belch, then followed it up with, "… And that's a sign that the tank is full!" "I can't believe you ate all those fucking chilidogs…" Said Sonia. She then groaned, feeling like she was going to throw up. "I think I'm gonna be sick…" She said.

Just then, the sound of an explosion from far away in the city echoed through the air. "The hell was that?!" Yelled Vicky, "Is my dad finally tearing down that old, decrepit opera house?" "I don't think-" Lancer began, but was interrupted by the city's emergency siren going off outside. This was followed up by Nicole's voice echoing through the city's PA system.

"_Attention citizens of Mobotropolis!_

_King Sonic has now issued a Type A emergency alert!_

_The city is under attack!_

_Please seek shelter immediately!"_

Just then, there was the sound of machine gun fire outside as a fully-armed team of robotic versions of Knuckles hover over the streets outside, shooting everything in their line of fire. The group of teens got down to the floor and ducked as the glass windows near them were shattered by gunfire.

Vicky screamed, covering her head as she ducked down.

Argyle muttered a prayer under his breath, begging God to let him live long enough to be able to finally 'Do it' with Lara-Su.

David pulled a SIG Saur P220 with a silver slide and attached laser sight from underneath his polo sweater jacket. (Upon seeing this, Argyle then yelled, "Where the fuck did you get a gun?!" "My grandad gave it to me as a sixteenth birthday present!" He responded, "Gave me carrying permit and everything.")

"What the hell is going on?!" Trey yelled, brandishing a balisong knife his dad had bought for him about a year back.

Skye was curled up in the feedle position, hiding behind his two tails, whimpering in a frightened manner.

Lara-Su, on the other hand, now knew for sure that her premonition held some truth. She hesitated for a moment, then made a mad dash for the door. Argyle saw this, then yelled, "What the fuck are you doing?!" "I'm going to find my dad!" She yelled back.

"**WHY**?!"

"… I don't know, I just have to find him!"

She the ran outside, looking both ways, then dashed in the direction she thought the castle was in. All around her, she witnessed the carnage: Robot versions of her father, The two Prower brothers, King Sonic, even Queen Sally, lay waste to the once peaceful city with machine guns, missiles, grenade launchers, and many other assorted weapons. Suddenly, a missile hit the ground behind her and she was blown forward, where she hit her head against the ground. She flopped to her back, crying out as pain coursed through her body. The left lens of her glasses had been cracked slightly, and her eardrums had popped, causing temporary deafness. She forced herself up, but quickly fell back to her knees. She then saw the body of another mobian fall to her right side.

It was a skunk girl, whose Mobotropolis University T-shirt had been ruined by the blood that it had soaked up from the multiple bullet wounds that had ripped open her chest. Her eyes lay open, forever fixed in a terrified gaze.

"**AAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH**!" She screamed, horrified at the dead body that had dropped right beside her. She crawled away from it, but then got knocked in the head by a piece of cement that had been sent flying from a nearby explosion. Lara fell face-first onto the pavement, blood from a wound on her head clouding her blurred vision.

She then blacked out.

_To be continued..._


	12. Chapter 10: Mobotropolis Assualt: Part 2

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapter also apply to this chapter as well as all subsequent chapters**

**Reader descretion is advised**

**Chapter ten: Mobotropolis Assault: Part two**

_West Mobotropolis_

_12:56_

A Mobian otter woman was running with her seven-year-old son, trying to find shelter from the onslaught of enemy robots. Suddenly, the boy tripped and sprained his ankle. The mother turned around quickly, than saw that a few meters to his left was a Mecha Sally V2 unit, arming it's arm-mounted grenade launcher. The mother's eyes widened in horror. "Ferris!" She cried out, "NOOOO!" the boy looked at the robot in fright. He knew then in his heart, that his short childhood was over. He closed his eyes and braced himself for his imminant death…

But then, all of a sudden, he felt someone grab him, followed by the sensation of being slightly airbourne. He opened his eyes, and saw those of Mobotropolis' own 'Angel-hearted Cyborg Cowgirl' Bunnie De'Coolette, flying towards the boy's mother with her jetpack feet. She then returned the boy to his mother. The mother hugged her child, delighted to see her son safe and sound. "Th-thank you!" The mother thanked her, putting her hands over Bunnie's. "Not a problem, ma'am!" Bunnie replied, tipping her stetson hat, "Now, y'all should probably get somewhere safe and let us handle things, y'hear?" the mother nodded, picking up her son. "Thanks Mrs. Bunnie!" The child chirped, smiling. Bunnie smiled back warmly. "Aw, shucks, yer welcome, lil' guy." The mother, her child in her arms, then ran into a nearby building, taking shelter behind a desk. Bunnie then turned her attention to the robot that had nearly killed a child. _That looks just like Sally when she was roboticized,_ She thought, _except the only difference is Ah can't see even a glimpse of Sally in those eyes of its. Maybe it's one of them standalone models or somethin'._ She then activated her robot arm's blaster, then jetted over to the robotic assailent, and took aim. The blaster hummed loudly as it charged a shot. "Yer mincemeat for tryin' to kill a child." She muttered angrily.

**RAT-TAT**!

**RAT-TAT-TAT**!

The robot in front of her was suddenly ripped open by armor-piercing rifle rounds fired from behind. She looked behind her, and then glared when she saw who it was.

Clash pulled on the loading lever of his assault rifle, discharging two bullet casings that got jammed in the firing mechanism, then grinned at her and said, "You looked like you could use some help." "Ah didn't need yer help!" Bunnie yelled at him angrily, landing right in front of him. Clash was soon followed by a unit of Royal Guardsmen, armed with assualt weapons. He then pointed at the onslaught of enemy robots in front of them, then gave the 'open fire' command gesture, while yelling, "Drop 'em!" the soldiers obeyed, gunning down the squad of robotic dopplegangers. Bunnie then scooted over to Clash's left, her blaster ready once again.

"Hey, Buns…" Clash asked.

"Yeah?" Bunnie responded.

"You thinkin' what I'm thinking?"

Bunnie thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Ah think so."

Clash smirked, switching the laser sight on his rifle on.

Then, with the most boisterous energy the two could muster, Clash and Bunnie yelled in perfect sync:

"**LET'S DO IT TO IT**!"

The two then began taking down robot after robot, fighting as not just friends, but as teammates.

_Meanwhile…_

On the roof of a nearby building, two individuals looked down at the two warring factions below: the Freedom fighters and the royal guard, and their own robot legion.

The one on the right was a mobian hybrid woman. She was as tall as a fully-grown human, and looked like a mix between two species'. She had the overall body type of a mobian reptile of some kind, almost like a cross between a gecko and a velociraptor. Her scales were a light forest green, but she had patches of bright, blonde fur on her thighs, her shoulders, and at the very tip of her long, snake-like tail. She also had purple stripe colorations on her scaly skin, and also bore other mammal-like features, such as long, blonde hair on her head that was done in a ponytail that went down her back, large, mammal-like breasts, and mobian paw pads on the palms of her reptilian claws. Her feet were like that of a velociraptor, right down to the one curled up talon on her big toe, and her eyes were a bright amber with narrow slit pupils. She wore nothing but a skimpy tribal outfit and a black leather trenchcoat overtop of it.

The one on the left was an overlander boy, about ten years old to be exact. He had green eyes, sepia-colored skin, medium black hair that was wild and messy, and wore brown leather body armor, a long black cape, and held a huge, wicked-looking scythe with a serrated blade and a sharpened point at the other end of it that could be used for stabbing. The child grinned evilly as he watched the battle ensue.

"Looks like we're up next, Raidan." Said the hybrid to the boy. Raidan looked to her and smirked. "Looks like I'll finally be able to get revenge on them for defeating my mother twenty five years ago, won't I, Lynn?" Lynn smiled smugly, then put her hand on his shoulder and said, "Just don't go overboard." She then looked down at the street below. "You take the ones covering the northeast," She instructed, "I'll take these ones." Raidan giggled evily. "Will do!" Raidan then jumped down the fire escape on the side of the building, then started running towards the northeast, killing any royal guard soldiers or citizens he saw on the way. Lynn, however, teleported right in front of Bunnie, who gave a surprised yelp. "Who're you?" She asked. Lynn smirked, then said, "So you're Bunnie De'Coolette of Mobius. My master has told me all about you." Bunnie raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Yer Master?" She asked, "And just who on Mobius could that be?" Lynn chuckled, spreading her arms out. "Isn't it obvious?" She taunted, "I would've thought you'd all had figured it out by now." Bunnie thought for a moment, then when she realized the answer, her eyes widened. "It… It can't be!" She said. Lynn nodded. Suddenly, Lynn swiftly grabbed Bunnie's robot arm, then transitioned the hold into a submission hold, holding Bunnie's arm way behind her, while Lynn's left foot pushed down on Bunnie's back. "L-leggo!" Bunnie yelled. Lynn examined Bunnie's robot arm with a cruel smile on her face. "Yes, this is definatly his handywork…" She said, "But I wonder…" She then started tugging on the metallic limb. "If I were to rip it off… Would you still feel pain?"

She pulled hard on the arm, using her foot on Bunnie's back for leverage.

"Would you still bleed?"

She tugged again. Bunnie desperately tried to pull herself free, but Lynn's grip was too strong.

"… Let's find out, shall we?"

With every ounce of strength in her, Lynn then tore off Bunnie's robotic arm, causing blood to flow from the flesh-filled metal socket. Bunnie screamed so loud she could've sworn she nearly made herself deaf. Lynn then kicked Bunnie forward with the foot she already had on her back, then threw her robot arm in front of her. Bunnie pressed her hand to the bleeding arm socket, trembling and shivering from shock. Her breathing was uneven as she looked at the bloody socket, then down to her seperated limb. She then got kicked in the face Lynn, causing her to fall to her right side. She lay there on her back, her lip busted open like a blood-filled balloon, and a large gash covered her forehead, causing blood to flow down the right side of her face. Her signature stetson hat had been knocked off of her head, and actually landed right next to Clash's feet as he fired at a few more robots. Clash looked down at the hat, then to where it came from. When he saw the sight before him, he felt intense anger flow through him, as his left eye gave a slight twitch. He then slung his rifle over his shoulder, and sent a couple of SOG throwing knives flying towards Lynn's left arm, causing massive wounds. Lynn cried out in pain as the knives pierced her flesh. Clash then sent a stainless steel throwing tomahawk flying as well, which had connected with Lynn's chest when she had turned to face her assailent. Lynn spat up a mouthfull of dark blue blood, falling to her knees, gasping for breath, which was no use as the throwing axe had punctured her lungs. She then collapsed to the ground. Clash then ran to Bunnie's side, crouching down next to her. He looked to her wounds, then said, "Goddamn. Hang tight, I'll call a-ARRRRAAGGH!" he cried out as one of his SOG knives hit the back of his right shoulder. He reached back and yanked the knife out, then turned to see Lynn, still alive, and ready with another. "Still not dead, huh?" He snarled. And just as Lynn was about to stab Clash in the back with the knife, Clash drew his own Marine Ka-Bar knife and a swift, deadly swing, sliced open Lynn's neck, causing the blue life fluids to pour out like a waterfall. Clash panted. "Way to leave your neck wide open for attack, you freakish cunt…" He said aloud. He then turned back to Bunnie, but before he could say anything else, he heard soft giggling. His eyes widened as he turned around slowly. When he did so, what he saw before him would forever go down in the history of his life as the 'Scariest fucking thing he had ever seen in his entire life'

Lynn, stood behind him, a few feet away, covered in her own blood, her wounds giving off a bright yellow gleam before healing closed in mere seconds. Even the severed opening in her neck closed up in no time at all. She then picked up another of the knives that was soaked in her blood, then said, "It's hard to kill someone who can heal even the deadliest of wounds, isn't it, Commander Connor?" She then licked blood off the knife with her long, reptilian tongue. Suddenly, she looked up and back, towards the outskirts of the city, as if someone was calling her. She then turned back to Clash, then said, "I'd love to stay and cut you open like a tomato, but I have urgent matters I need to tend to." She then threw off her trench coat, then with a loud growl, sprouted large, dragonlike wings from her back. When that happened, her claws sharpened, and her eyes went almost full-on reptile mode. And with that, she took flight, flying off towards the outskirts of the city. Clash watched her fly off, cursing himself for not thinking to cut her chest open, stick a grenade in there, and letting her try healing _that_ off. He then heard Bunnie give a loud cough. He turned back to his teammate, then turned on his TCH and called into it. "This is Commander Clash, I have a man down, requesting Med Evac immediately!" "Copy that, Commander," Said a voice on the other end, "We're sending a medical chopper to your position. Command out." Clash then turned off his TCH then examined Bunnie's wounds. She was bleeding too much too fast. If her wound wasn't wrapped in _any_ kind of bandaging, she would either die of blood loss or infection. He looked around for something he could use as a bandage. Then, he got an idea. Bunnie probably wouldn't like it, but it was either that or die slowly of blood loss. "Bunnie, listen to me…" Clash instructed, "I need to borrow your top." Bunnie's looked at him like he'd just called her mother a bad word. "You wanna die of blood loss?" He asked irritably. Bunnie shook her head instantly. She then threw off her denim jacket, followed by her crimson-soaked pink leotard top. Working quickly, Clash bandages up Bunnie's open arm socket by fashioning her top and her jacket into an elaborate makeshift bandage. He then pressed his hands against the wound, keeping pressure on it to stop the bleeding. "It's not much, but it's gonna have to do for now." Just then, he heard the beeping of a targeting system behind him. Actining swiftly and furiously, he drew the Model 1887 shotgun from it's sheath and fired a single titanium slug through the Silver Sonic V3.0 behind him, and yelled "**FUCK YOU**!" He then pulled on the lever, rechambering the shotgun, then returned to keeping pressure on Bunnie's wounds. He could already see her slipping. He then slapped her awake, and barked, "Hey, stay with me! Buns, stay with me. Do not fall asleep! If you do, you die." "… Clash…" She said softly. "What is it?" Bunnie motioned for him to move in closer. He did so, then Bunnie whispered something in his ear. When he heard it, his eyes widened in surprise, causing him to jerk away and yell,

"**YOU'RE **_**WHAT**_!"

_To be continued…_


	13. Chapter 10: Mobotropolis Assualt: Part 3

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapter will also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters**

**Reader descretion is advised.**

**Chapter Ten: Mobotropolis Assault, part three**

_Mobotropolis City Hall_

_1:10 PM_

About thirty minutes into the invasion, transport cruisers started landing in parts of the city, deploying non-robot ground troops to join the robotic units. Primarily, they were dominantly overlander, but there were some mobians, and very few females of both races within the ranks. They wore a more updated version of the old Eggtrooper armor, and carried with them more up-to-date weapons, such as the AN-94, the CZ Skorpion EVO, the M1216, the Beretta 23R, and many other next-gen assault weapons.

Now, at city hall, the mayor and the other members of his administration were holding up in his office, which lay at the third floor, and had a balcony that looked over the front steps of the building.

The mayor, former head general of the Eggman empire, Sherrock Matoba, stood in front of his desk, facing the balcony. He had medium-long blonde hair, light skin, and an eye patch over his left eye from an injury he had sustained years ago. his good eye, was bright blue, and despite having poor depth perception at times, was still 20 vision. He wore a grey buttonover suit, and also had a tattoo of the Eggman Empire insignia on the back of his right hand, which he preferred to keep hidden nowadays. He also held an AK74U at the ready and had five extra mags on the desk in front of him.

Standing on the balcony was his slightly younger brother, Gren, who looked almost exactly the same as him in looks, but without the eye patch. He wore a pair of aviator shades over his eyes, coupled with urban camoflage fatigues, a light bulletproof vest with the word 'Security' printed on the front of it, and had a VSS silenced semi-automatic sniper rifle slung on his back. Currently, he was looking through a pair of binoculars at the scene outside the office.

Standing next to him was a monkey-based badnik known as Coconuts, who looked nowadays always seemed to look like he was bored. And cowering in the corner of the room was a rooster-based badnik named Scratch, who wore a grey suit with a red tie, and a drill/tank-based badnik known as Grounder, who was best friends with Scratch. Previously, these three had been employed by Mammoth Mogul, but after some major financial losses involving a ponzie scheme and the misplacement of a few decimal points, Mammoth went bankrupt, and the three badniks ended up losing their jobs. Now, Scratch worked as Sherrock's secretary, Grounder as his janitor, and Coconuts as his city planner (Which, in retrospect, was better than his previous job when he was working at the casino.).

Gren spotted some Eggtroopers headed towards the building with his binoculars. "Heads up, guys." He said, using a calm and professional tone, "Looks like the men we used to command are coming after us." "Well, shit." Said Sherrock, "I take it diplomacy is out of the question, isn't it?" Gren pulled on the loading handle on his sniper rifle, then looked through the variable zoom scope towards the enemy soldiers below. He took aim at the first head he saw.

"Most likely." He answered.

He then took a deep breath…

**PWIP!**

He scored a perfect headshot on the soldier in front. He then moved on to plugging the rest of them, perfect headshot every time. He then looked down and saw that one was still alive. He was about to reach for his pistol when Coconuts walked up beside him, then materialized a big, black cherry bomb in his hands and dropped it off the balcony, making it land right in front of the soldier.

**BOOM**!

"**MY ARRRRMMMM**!"

A decapitated arm came flying up and landed on the floor next to Gren, who looked down and winced when he saw what had happened to the eggtrooper below. "God, just like Fourth of Julua…" He said. Coconuts smiled slightly. "Well…" He added, "I guess if you slid a pig underneath him, then yeah, just like Fourth of Julua!" Sherrock shrugged. "How you two become friends is beyond me!" he said cooly. However, in his mind, he was worried about something else. _Fucking shit… Vicky… My daughter is out there in that mess somewhere… I really hope she's alright…_ He then felt his right fist tighten. It was ironic. Twenty-five years ago, Sherrock would've been getting a kick out of all of this. But now, he saw how truly terrible this was.

Never once in his life had he _ever_ hated his former boss like he did now.

or just hated him in general, for that matter.

_Hawk St._

_Financial district_

_Eastern Mobotropolis_

_1:22 PM…_

Antoine impaled an Eggtrooper through his heart with one of his two swords, then slashed open the soldier's throat with his other sword, causing a slight spray of blood to flow from the wound, which got on Antoine's uniform a little bit. The french fighter then pushed the impaled soldier off of his blade, took a look at his bloodstained uniform, then said, "… You got blood on my uniform…" his poker face then broke as he continued, "… Seriously, do you even _know_ how badly it's going to stain? Blood does not come out of zis fabric easily, an-" "Alright, wow. I'm going to stop you right there…" Knuckles interrupted, after he kicked a Metal Tails V2.0 in the face, "'Cause that one-liner was perfectly fine until you added all that other crap to it." Antoine looked turned to him, then replied, "I thought it was cool…" Knuckle sighed and shook his head. "No, you stupid bastard…" He then spotted another Eggtrooper. "Look, here's how it's done…" He said. He then ran straight up to the soldier and slugged him right in the face, caving in his skull! "You mess with the echidna…" Said Knuckles, with his best poker face on, "… You get the spines." He then looked to Antoine and said, "That… Is how you deliver a one-liner."

While this went on, Jake sliced a Mecha Sally V2 in half, seperating it's body from it's legs with his beam sword. The upper half drew it's built-in arm blaster, but Jake drove his sword through it's head. He then saw a small squad of Eggtroopers taking aim with their weapons to his right. He quickly turned to face them, then threw his hand out in front of him, pointing towards the squad. He then focused a huge mass of bright blue lightning energy.

"Chaoossss…" He said through gritted teeth.

"**GRAAAAAAHHHH!**" he bellowed, charging his attack.

"**LIGHTNING SHOCKWAVE BLITZ**!"

He unleashed a _wall_ of blue lightning at the squad of soldiers, instantly frying them to a crisp. He panted after unleashing his attack. He had only been fighting for an hour and already he was starting to get winded. His sickness made sure of that. As he continued fighting, his attacks started to slow as he slowly started becoming exhuasted. He didn't even pay attention to the Mecha Knux V2.0 take aim at him with a cannon that portruded from it's knuckles.

"Jake!" Katelyn called out, "Look out!"

Jake snapped back into focus, then faced the possible assailent, and was about to strike it down, when it shot a dark purple gunk right in his eyes. "Hey, are you alright?!" Katelyn called to him. Jake raised his left hand to wipe the sticky purple ooze from his eyes. "I'm fine, I just-" He began, but was cut off by a severe, intense burning pain coming from his eyes. He then cried in agony and fell to his knees, then finally onto his back. He writhed on the ground in agony. Katelyn, Julie-Su, Knuckles and Antoine ran to his side immediately. "Jake, what's wrong?!" Katelyn asked, panic showing up in her voice as she knelt down next to him. "Errrggh.. Aghh… My eyes…" He moaned, "They're… ngh… They're burning!" just then, Katelyn spied smoke coming from the purple gunk that got splashed in Jake's eyes. She also smelled the foul odor of caustic chemicals. She then realized what was going on. "Acid…" She said, "This gunk is acidic! " she then got out her medkit, then said to Knuckles and Antoine, "Cover me, you two, I need to flush this stuff out of his eyes." The two boys nodded then went on to facing the onslaught of enemies while the girls worked on treating their fallen friend. Julie-Su fashioned a metal pan out of the chestplate of an enemy robot, and Katelyn, using her magic, filled it with water that she summoned with a spell. She then helped Jake to sit up. "Jake, listen to me." She told him, "This gunk is acidic, so I'm going to flush it out of your eyes. Try not to struggle or I might mess up, okay?" Jake nodded, moaning still. Julie held the pan in front of him, while Katelyn his head forward until his eyes were submerged in the water. Jake cried out again, but Katelyn kept her grip on him. Slowly, the purple ooze started wash out of his eyes underneath the water, the acidic compounds in the gunk being neutralized by the water. Once she was finished, Katelyn pulled Jake's head back up, and wrapped bandages over his eyes. She then picked him up, and said, "I'm gonna take him to the hospital. You guys handle things here." She then flew off using her levitation magic. Julie-Su watched them go, then pointed her Glock 18 at another group of enemies and let loose with it, unleashing 75 rounds a minute from it's 100 round twin drum mag. "A wise man once said.." She said, saying a quote of some kind, "… 'I've yet to meet one who can withstand bullets!'"

The battle was starting to get really intense….

And in the end, Mobotropolis would never be the same…

_To be continued…_


	14. Chapter 11: Old and Lame

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapter also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters**

**Reader descretion is advised**

**Chapter Eleven: Old and Lame**

_1:35 PM_

"_Lara-Su…"_

_Lara heard the voice from her dream last night calling her._

"_Lara-Su… You must get up…"_

"_Wait, who are you?!"_

"Hey, wake up!"

"Ungh…" Lara-Su groaned, picking herself up to her knees after being shaken awake. Her head was pounding as she fell back on her behind. Her glasses were still cracked, and she could also taste blood in her mouth. She touched her lower lip with her fingers and winced as she felt a stinging pain. She must've busted her lip open when she fell. And then there was her head. she felt the left side of her forehead with her hand, then took it away to find blood on it. She may have also cracked her head open, or even gotten a concussion. She bent over and spat some leftover blood out of her mouth.

"Hey, You alright?" Said a voice right next to her.

She turned her head to her right to face the speaker. Her vision was still slightly blurry from hitting her head as hard as she did, but in moments it cleared up, and she saw the identity of her rescuer. "I'm… I'm fine… I think." She answered the brown-furred quillpig. "_fine_?" Said the quillpig, "Lara, you look like hammered shit!" Lara then went wide-eyed with amazement. "H-how did you know my name?" She asked. The quillpig, realizing what he did the moment he did it, shifted his eyes side to side nervously, then answered, "Well, who _doesn't_ know the name of the daughter of Knuckles the Echidna, the Former leader of the Chaotix and Legendary Guardian!" "Well…" Said Lara, attempting to get up on her feet, "I guess that makes sense" then minute she was almost to her feet, her head started hurting again. "Hang on, you're hurt!" Said the quillpig, sitting her back down. He put his bag down beside him, then unzipped it, and got out a first aid kit. He pulled out a roll of tape bandages and started wrapping Lara's head, being absolutely sure to patch up the large gash with medical stitches first. He then cleaned up her lip, wiping the blood off of it and applying some disinfectant medicine as well. Once he was finished treating Lara's wounds, he put everything back in his bag, which he then slung back on his back. "Alright, that should keep you together until you can get to a hospital." He said, "But for now, I think you should go find somewhere safe and hide there until this whole thing blows over, okay?" Before Lara could get a chance to reply, the kindly stranger then got out his hoverboard and unfolded it, making it turn on and hover about a foot and a half off the ground. He then jumped on it, and before he could zoom away, Lara stopped him. "Hold on," She said, "You just saved me and I don't even know you. Who are you?" The quillpig looked to her, then said, "Call me Charlie." He then sped off in the other direction. After he had left, thoughts started going through Lara's head. _I know I just met him,_ she thought, _But why do I feel like I've known him my entire life?_ Hearing another explosion not to far from her, Lara-Su snapped out of her train of thought and ran into a nearby shop, doing just as 'Charlie' had instructed.

_Transit Plaza_

_West Mobotropolis_

_1:39 PM_

Raidan stabbed yet another MPD SWAT Team trooper with his scythe, but was quickly starting to get bored. He _really_ wanted to get back at the Freedom Fighters for defeating his mother twenty-five years ago, but he had already left a trail of blood to where he was now. Finally, he got an idea. _I'll use __that__!_ He thought, _Then they'll-_ his train of thought was then suddenly interrupted by fake fog rolling in front of him. "Huh?" He wondered aloud, "The hell's going on?" Just then, 'Separate Ways' by Journey started playing on the PA intercoms in his immediate area. And on that cue, multiple figures materialized in the fog in front of him. Raidan readied his scythe, in case it was an ambush. However, he was surprised.

Riley, along with several others, were standing a few feet in front of Raidan, all wearing a different colored cloak. Riley smirked, then started singing to the song:

"_Here we stand,_

_Worlds apart hearts broken in two, two, two_

_Sleepless nights,_

_Losing ground I'm reachin' for you, you, you_

_Feelin' that it's goooo-oonne,_

_Can't change your mind,_

_If we can't go ooooo-ooo-oonn_

_To survive the tide,_

_Love diviiiides…"_

After that lyric ended, Riley and the rest of the cloaked figures threw off their cloaks, revealing their identities.

It was none other than the legendary warriors of Mobius, The Chaotix!

Riley, the new leader, stood in front, wearing a black leather vest with spikes on the shoulders and his initials written in metal studs on the back of it, skintight leather pants, black motorcycle boots, and facepaint depicted an elaborate pattern similar to those worn by the tribal Mobians of old. He also had a huge claymore sword in a sheath on his back.

To his left was Amy, who wore a bright, bubblegum pink latex catsuit with red heart appliques on the chest, shoulders and knees, bright red high-heeled boots, and wore bright lavender lipstick, dark indigo eyeshadow, mascara, and had a red heart painted on her left cheek with facepaint.

To Riley's second left was Vector, who wore a forest-green leotard with a light green scale pattern printed on it, Dragonball Z-style body armor that was lime green in color, light green leather gauntlets, and white and green boots.

Third left was a purple, 'female' chameleon wearing a fishnet bodysuit underneath a black lace corset that covered her waist and bust, a single, black spandex panty, long, thigh length black leather high-heeled boots with multiple buckle straps, and wore black lipstick, eyeshadow, mascara and eyelash extensions.

Fourth left was Charmy, who was wearing a black leather buckle-up tanktop coupled with black fingerless gloves, faded blue jeans with various rips in them here and there, and had black lipstick and a cartoonish bumblebee chao painted on his right cheek.

To Riley's right, was Cream, who wore a Red PVC tube top coupled with matching skintight leggings and elbow-length fingerless gloves, throwing knives held in bandoliers and holders worn on her body and thighs, a pair of Chinese hook swords in sheaths worn on her back, a large shiruken worn on a holder on her back as well, a compound bow and a quiver of arrows of many varieties and functions, a pair of Sais in sheathes worn on her belt, and white ankle-length high-heel boots, and had the Japanese character for 'Bunny' painted on her right cheek.

Second right was a rather nervous-looking mobian Flying squirrel, with bright, sky-blue colored fur, blue eyes, and wore a pair of navy blue spandex pants, black vinyl toe shoes, and had the word 'Fly' painted on his chest with body paint.

And finally, third left was Might the Armadillo, who wore a brown leather vest, brown boots, a and a black visor beanie. His eyes also looked red and bloodshot, and he had a joint in his mouth that he was smoking, and seemed very mellow.

"**CHAOTIX**!" Riley yelled to his teammates, "**SOUND OFF**!"

"Amy Rose!" Yelled Amy, twirling her hammer, then blowing a kiss, "'The hammer-wielding hedgehog sweetheart!'"

"Vector the Alligator!" Yelled Vector, throwing some air punches, then striking a most triumphant pose, "'The leatherheaded brawler!'"

"Cream the Bunny!" Yelled Cream, swinging her hooks swords in front of her before striking a pose with them, "'The fierce bunny konoichi!'"

"Charmy the Bee!" Charmy yelled, throwing back his long hair, "'The insect rocker with the massive stinger!'" He then added, "And _yes_, ladies, it _**IS**_ massive!"

"Espiona, the Chameleon!" yelled the chameleon 'girl' "'The transge-" she stopped mid-intro before 'she' realized what line Riley had given 'her' to say for her intro, then said, "You know what? No. J-just no. I'm not saying it."

The flying squirrell was next, who hesitated before saying, "B-b-b-Barry, the Flying squirrell! 'The… Rodent who flies… f-flies… Oh God…" he then began shivering in fright as he started to have an episode. "I-I-It's okay, Buh-Barry…" He told himself, "G-get yourself together! You can't have an episode at a time like this! J-j-just… It's what Hazel would want…" he then started sobbing uncontrollably as he started to have flashbacks of a certain incident that occurred during the Silver Bullet wars years ago.

"Oh my god, Barry…" Said Might, walking up to his friend and slapping his back, while of course being baked out of his fucking skull, "You're crazy, dude." He then started snickering.

"And…" Riley then drew his Claymore, swung it above his hand a few times, then thrust it into the ground in front of him, then finished, "Riley Ocelot! 'The Speckled Swordsman of Awesomeness!"

The group then got together behind Riley an all struck a separate pose, then all said in perfect sync, "**WE ARE THE CHAOTIX**!"

And after that final pose, confetti and rose petals were shot out of cannons that Nicole made from nanites for that exact moment.

Raidan, still trying to process what had just happened, simply stared for a few moments, then clapped sarcastically. After was done clapping, he looked at them a for a moment, then said, "So, this is the famed 'Chaotix' that my mother warned me about when she entrusted me with the task of getting revenge on the Acorn Kingdom and The Freedom Fighters…"

He paused for a moment before continuing. "You guys are pathetic!"

Vector immediately took offense. "Say what?!" He yelled, about to charge at him before Riley stopped him, and retorted with, "Listen up, kid… We are the Chaotix! The coolest, most bad-assed group of heroes that Mobius has to offer! We right wrongs, and punish evil!" He then pointed right at Raidan and added, "… And that means you!"

Might put a bong to his mouth, lit it, then took a big puff of the smoke, then said, "Yeah, far out, dude…"

Seeing this, Raidan continued, "My point exactly. You guys are all like, what? 40? 45? Pushing 50? And here you are, dressed up like a bunch of flaming transvestites!"

"Hey!" Yelled Charmy, "Let's be completely fair here! I'm actually only thirty-two!" "And I'm twenty-seven!" Cream added.

"Nobody fucking asked either of you!" Raidan barked at them. "Hey, leave them alone!" yelled Espiona, "They're just clarifying their-" "And you!" Raidan carried on, moving on to Espiona, "Weren't you originally a _boy_?" Espiona was now offended, but also seemed like she had been hit hard by that question. "Th-That's… that's none of your buisiness!" She yelled at him. Raidan then spotted Barry, still undergoing his episode. "And what's his problem?" He asked, motioning to him with his scythe. "Ummm…" Said Cream, "He had a bit of an incident a few years back that kind of put him in a 'altered mental state' Believe it or not, we actually had to break him out of the mental hospital he was staying at in order for him to be in this battle with us right now." Suddenly, Barry looked slightly more distressed than he was a moment ago. "Oh no…" He said, "… I-I didn't take my medication before we left… Oh God, I didn't take my meds!" As Barry continued to freak out, Raidan just watched with disappointment. He then looked to Might, who was still incredibly stoned, then sighed and said, "Well, since you guys took all that time introducing yourselves, allow me to do so like a normal person." He slammed the ground with the sharpened tip of his scythe. "My name is Prince Raidan Ferrum, otherwise known as… The Iron Prince."

The group of warriors all got surprised, yet terrified looks on their faces. "Wait…" Said Riley, "So you're telling me that you're the son of Iron Queen Regina Ferrum?!" Raidan nodded. He then raised his left hand in front of him, causing a black and red multicolored energy to form around it. When he did this, a huge hand made of red nanites came out of the ground and attempted to grab Cream, who quickly dodged it with a loud yelp. "Are… Are those…" Cream stammered. Raidan nodded again, dissappating the nanite fist and his spell. "Correct. Not only do I possess every bit of technomagical skill my mother did, but I can also produce and manipulate my own nanites! Although…" His expression became serious again, "I don't really feel like using them on you all." Riley looked at him in shock. "What, why?!" He exclaimed. Raidan sighed irritably. "Because, all of us being who we are and the levels we're all at, I could kill all of you in _seconds_." He answered, "And I honestly expected a lot more from all of you. Instead of being tough and cool, you're all just old and lame." He then turned from them and said, "I'm going to go help Lynn. When you guys decided to stop being lame, let me know. I'm guessing this won't be the first time we meet." He then dashed off.

The members of the chaotix all took a moment to let what was said to them process in their heads. "We're… We're _lame_?" Vector wondered aloud. Espiona shrugged. "Blame Riley," She said, "He's the one who suggested we start doing this crap since he became leader." Riley looked to her, then down at the ground, a dejected look on his face. Amy walked to his side, but he then said, "… Espiona's right. I did kinda run us into the ground…" He then looked back up, a determined look on his face, "But that doesn't mean we still can't be heroes." He then turned to face his teammates, "Guys, forget about what that dumb-assed kid said! Fuck him! We can still fight some baddies, can't we, guys?" there was silence.

"… guys?" Riley asked.

Vector took a moment to think, then took off the body armor and threw it on the ground, and said, "You know what? Fuck this! I'm going to go look for my son!" he then ran off. Riley then looked to the others, and said, "Well, we can still-"

"Riles, no offense…" Said Charmy, "But I already cheated death and/or irrepairable brain damage once. I don't want to risk getting shot in the head again." He then flew off.

"I'm going to go take Barry back to the hospital." Said Espiona, "And you can forget about me doing this for you again. I quit!" She then grabbed Barry's hand and led him back to the hospital.

Might thought for a moment, a rather long one, at that, then said, "I'm going to Seven-eleven, man. I got the munchies right now. Later." He then simply walked off.

Then, it was just Riley, Amy and Cream.

Riley looked to them hopefully.

"… Girls?"

"I won't abandon you." Said Amy, taking her hand in his. Cream nodded. "Neither will I!" She added. A smile slowly spread across Riley's face. "… Thanks guys…" he then struck down a nearby Metal Knux V3.0, then yelled, "Now let's kick some ass!"

The three friends then did what they knew how to do naturally…

Kicking some serious bad guy ass!

Together…

_To be continued…_


	15. Chapter 12: Accidental victory

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapters also apply to this chapter and all subsequents chapters**

**Reader descretion is advised**

**Chapter Twelve: Accidental victory**

/

_Joe's Diner_

_1:47 PM_

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It had been almost an hour since the Invasion of Mobotropolis, or as it would eventually come to be known as 'Crimson Tuesday', began earlier that day. During that time, the group of teenaged friends (With the exception of one) stayed in the diner, holding out until the invasion was over or something.

David stood peeking out of a window near the front entrance, observing what was going on outside, his gun at the ready.

Argyle, worried about Lara-Su, kept checking his phone to see if she had called or texted to say she was alright.

Vicky, who was so scared right now that her mind was still trying to process how scared she really was, flipped through channel after channel on the overhead TV set, trying to see if any channels were giving updates on the situation, which, realistically, were all emergency alert screens.

Lancer sat at the counter stool, watching the 1980's version of 'Red Dawn' on his smartphone, trying to make the best of things.

Sonia had remained silent the entire time, just sitting at the same booth she had been sitting in from the moment she had gotten there.

Trey and Manik were huddled together on the floor next to Sonia, thinking about what TV programs they were missing right now.

Skye, however, had been curled up underneath a nearby table, trembling with fright as he recalled a traumatic memory he'd tried to forget for about ten years. He squeezed his two tails closer to his body for comfort, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Vicks…" Said Lancer as Vicky had eventually reached 'The Hud' on her channel-flipping quest for information on the situation, "There's not going to be any real news updates for a while. The city's being destroyed, so all the channels are down." Vicky then placed the remote on the counter, then collapsed onto a nearby dining chair, with this scared look on her face. "How could something like this happen?" She wonder aloud. "Yeah…" Argyle added, "Everything was fine on the internet this morning!" "That's just how surprise attacks work…" David answered the two of them, "Lull them into a false sense of security, then attack when they least expect it." "Kinda like Robotnik's Coup De'Atat all those years ago," Lancer added, "No one ever saw it coming, so they were completely unprepared. It _also_ reminds me of the movie I'm watching on my phone right now…" Argyle and Vicky gathered around Lancer's phone, watching the would-be rebels in the movie, 'The Wolverines', attack a Soviet military convoy. "It's called: 'Red Dawn'" He explained, "It's about a group of high school boys from a small town in midwestern America, who when the Soviet Union invades and takes control of their hometown, they band together and fight back!"

While this went on, The younger ones were all sitting around, trying to make the best of the situation, while Sonia reluctantly supervised them. She was very upset right now, because she was having just about the worst of a day right now. She wanted so much to yell or scream or even smack her brother right now, but she was holding it in, trying her best not to lose her temper.

It wasn't until Trey said something that she finally lost it.

"I can't believe I'm missing the mid-season finale of 'The Adventures of Agent X' because of this." He said.

The minute he said this, he had unwittingly ingnited a spark inside the part of Sonia's mind that controls her patience, thus lighting it ablaze and burning it to the ground. Furious, she bolted up from her seat and threw an empty glass cup halfway across the room, causing it to shatter on the back wall. David and the others drew their attention to their friend finally snapping under the pressure. She stormed over to Trey angrily, then started yelling. "**ARE YOU STUPID OR SOMETHING**?!" She screamed at him, "The entire city is being destroyed and all you're worried about is missing an episode of your stupid cartoon?!" "Hey, listen, Let's get one thing straight," Trey replied, "It's not a 'stupid cartoon' it's got a plot and it's well wri-" Sonia, acting out of anger, smacked Trey across the face. unfortunately, she misjudged the amount of strength she put into her strike, and ended up hitting him so hard he flew right onto the floor in front of Skye. Upon seeing this, Skye started to have a panic attack. He looked up at Sonia, seeing not his best friend's older sister, but instead a ruthless attacker, one who had just hurt his cousin, and was going to hurt him next. "Sonia, what the hell?!" Yelled Vicky, "You're lucky you're not yet eighteen!" "I honestly don't think that would really matter at the present moment, Vicky." Said David, "But I will say that that was pretty uncalled for." While they argued, Manik glanced at Skye, who looked as though he had witnessed a murder. "Skye?" He asked, concerned, "Are you okay?" Skye began shivering violently from fright. His breathing gradually picked up speed as he started to hyperventilate. Images started rolling through his head as certain events that had occurred years ago seemed to play back over and over again on loop in his mind. And on top of that, he saw them again…

The eyes…

"**NOOOO**!" He cried, crawling away backwards towards the wall behind him, "Please! D-d-d-don't hurt me! I don't know what he did, but please don't hurt me! I… I…" He then started sobbing as he finished, "… I don't want to suffer." "The hell's wrong with him?" Asked Argyle. "He… He's kind of having a panic attack right now." Trey explained, "He was sort of kidnapped when he was about five years old, and ever since they rescued him, he just sort of breaks down in emergency situations like this. Even the fire drills at school can trigger an attack." "P.T.S.D…." David said aloud. "That's horrible…" Vicky added. "Yeah, he doesn't really like talking about it unless he's with his therepist. In fact, the topic altogether is sort of taboo in our family. Speaking of which, don't tell my Uncle Tails I mentioned it." He then scooted right up to Skye's left and started rubbing his back soothingly. "It's okay, Skye. Everything's going to be okay. They can't hurt you anymore." Skye then pulled out a small, silver whistle and held it in his right hand, still trembling. Vicky recognized it immediately. "Is that a rape whistle?" She asked. Trey nodded. "It used to belong to my Aunt Mina before she got a new one." He explained, "It's kinda for therapudic purposes. Whenever he gets like this, he blows on it to calm down." "Well, tell him not to right now." Said David all of a sudden, who had ducked down underneath one of the broken windows "Cause we got company." Sonia joined him in looking out one of the windows that hadn't been broken, which were tinted well enough to hide their presence, and went wide-eyed with horror.

Outside were four, fully-armed Eggtroopers, patrolling the battle-torn streets for stragglers or just someone to kill in general. David looked to others and mouthed the word 'hide' his friends took the hint immediately. Vicky and Lancer dived behind the counter, David, Argyle and Sonia behind a corner towards the left side of the building, and Manik, Skye and Trey underneath a booth table. David actually had good timing with having him and his friends hide, as one of the soldiers had opened the front door of the diner and walked in, followed by his three comrades. The soldiers looked around the room, pointing their weapons this way and that. "Are you sure you head people in here?" one of them asked. The one in front of the group nodded. "I swear, I heard voices coming from in here through the broken windows." Upon hearing this, Sonia looked to Argyle, who returned the gesture by leaning against the wall he behind him, sinking down to the floor, and uttering another prayer to god that was of the same variety as the one he uttered earlier. David slowly and silently pulled on the slide of his pistol, chambering a round, then quietly pulled on the hammer. He then looked at the glass on the jukebox to his front right, using the reflection on it to see exactly when he should put his plan into action.

The soldier took a few steps towards the corner where David and his friends were.

And when he was close enough…

David jumped in front of the soldier, grabbing ahold of his weapon, then put him into a half-nelson, and fired the weapon at two of the three other soldiers, killing them, before getting knocked in the ribs by the soldier he had attempted his maneuver on.

At that exact moment, a multitude of things happened all at once.

One: Lancer jumped up from behind the counter and shot the third soldier with a 357. Magnum revolver he found underneath the counter, scoring two shots to the man's chest, and one right between his eyes.

Two: Trey, seeing an opportunity, charged over to the soldier that was about to kill David and stabbed him in the side with his balisong knife, causing him to bleed, but also making him a target as well, as he was knocked in the face with the stock of the man's shotgun.

And three: Vicky, not wanting to be useless, jumped over the counter and smashed a glass bottle of Cave's Lemonade right against the man's neck, when she was originally aiming for his head. In doing so, however, she ended up inadvertantly severing the man's coronary artery, causing him to bleed to death in seconds.

There was a brief moment of panting as David, Trey, Lancer and Vicky all took a moment to take in what they had done and the amount of energy it took to do it.

David then took a moment to frisk the dead Eggtroopers, taking all their weapons, ammo and grenades. He then placed the spoils of him and his friends' 'victory' on a dining table in the middle of the room. He managed to gather an AN-94 with an attached ACOG scope, laser sight, underbarrel grenade launcher, and an extended 40-round clip, a Skorpion EVO with an attached red dot sight and laser sight, an M1216 shotgun with an attached Holographic sight, and an AK-103 with an attached Hybrid optic sight, a forgrip, and a laser sight, two Beretta 23Rs, a Steyr TMP with an attached Reflex sight, and ammo for everything he had taken off of the soldiers. Lancer found two whole boxes of ammo for the revolver he 'borrowed' from the owner of the diner and put all that on the table as well. The teens all gathered around the table, as David was about to give his analysis of the current situation. Taking a deep breath, David spoke. "It's now clear to me that we can't stay here much longer." He said, "It's also clear to me that this little 'victory' of ours was completely accidental." He paused for a moment, then continued, "So here's my plan: We make our way to the castle, then get to the royal panic room and hold out there. Now, while we now have weapons, I really don't think we should directly engage the enemy, seeing as how _some_ of us will be too tempted to imitate what we've seen or done in movies or video games." However, everyone except for Sonia had completely ignored him and began posing with the weapons, qouting movies or video games. David sighed angrily. _ Now I know how Sonia feels about her brother sometimes._ He thought.

_To be continued…_


	16. Chapter 13: Ghost

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapters also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters**

**Reader descretion is advised**

**Chapter Thirteen: Ghost**

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_Third Street_

'_The Valley'_

_2:21 PM_

_/_

Rouge fired a few more shots from her MP5K at another Eggtrooper, then ducked behind an abandoned car to re-load. Next to her was her free-loading, explosives-obsessed roommate, Bean, the Dynamite Duck who threw aside an MPL he had loaded with explosive rounds, then got out two XM25 grenade launchers, then popped up from where he was taking cover, took aim at a bunch of enemies, then yelled, "**HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOTHERFUCKERS**!" he then let loose with the two semi-automatic launchers with their extended clips and blew them all away. He then rejoined Rouge, who looked at him like he was on drugs. "I sure blew them away, ehh Rouge?" He said with a grin.

Rouge continued to stare, then turned around and fired at a few more enemies, nailing all the kill points on each one. She then turned back and re-loaded again. "Y'know, I swear," Said Bean, attempting to flirt, "If I wasn't still holding out for that beast of a woman Wave, I'd fuck the blue right out of those eyes!" Rouge then pointed the barrel of her SMG underneath Bean's chin, scowling at him, clearly not impressed.

There was a pause, then, Rouge said, "Have I made my point?"

Bean nodded. "… Okay…" he said, halfheartedly.

Rouge then pointed the SMG away from Bean and at another group of enemies. Bean then got out an M32 semi-auto grenade launcher and fired at a few enemies as well. "I wonder what Mammoth Mogul's up to right about now?" He wondered aloud. "Didn't you screw him over?" Rouge asked, "You know. With that 'ponzie scheme' you made up?" Bean thought for a moment, then replied, "Oh yeahhh… heh heh, nice." Rouge shrugged and face-palmed. _Why did I get stuck with this idiot in the first place?_ She thought angrily.

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_Acorn Castle_

_2:25 PM_

/

Sonic stood on the balcony of the library, looking towards the city skyline, from which pillars of smoke could be seen rising from it, as well as explosions and laser and machine gun fire, going off like fireworks.

It seemed almost unreal. The peace that he and his friends had fought so long and so hard for was being completely shattered right in front of his eyes.

And also…

"Sonic…" Said Tails, putting a hand on his shoulder, "I know you want to be out there, but it'll just put you at risk. They probably already have Sally, we don't need them taking you as well." Sonic jerked his shoulder from Tails' grip, frustrated. "It's not fair." He growled, "The city's being destroyed, and I'm not allowed to do a damn thing about it!"

"You Highness…" The two turned around to a see the one member of the Royal Guard that Sonic knew right off the bat, as he was a personal friend of Sally's.

He was a mobian fox, 39 in age, and had cerulean-colored fur, amber eyes, medium-length brown hair that was neatly parted in the middle, and wore these aviator-frame glasses, coupled with the Acorn Royal guard blue camoflage fatigues, as well as a matte black Desert Eagle pistol in a holster worn on his right thigh. He also had his hands up for some reason, almost as if he was at gunpoint.

"Sgt. Zephyr?" Said Sonic, "What're you doing here? I thought you'd be out there fighting." "Someone has a message for you." Zephyr answered. He then stepped aside and revealed by far the most adorably threatening thing Sonic had ever seen in his entire life.

It was a stone-grey chao, wearing a black fedora, coupled with a black tie, holding a revolver in his hand, and had been apparently fluttering behind Zephyr the entire time.

"Da Boss want's ta have a word wit' ya." He told Sonic, using this cute little 1920's Brooklyn mobster accent, that didn't sound as intimidating as he would've hoped it would. Sonic giggled. "Awww, it's so cute!" he said, "It's like he's-"

"Chao Palminteri?" Tails finished.

Sonic looked at him for a moment, then said, "… No, but that's even better than what I was originally thinking."

"**SHADDUP**!"

**WHAM**!

The gangster chao pistol-whipped Sonic across the side of his face. "Ow, Goddammit!" Sonic cried out, "He's an angry chao!" The Chao then put away the revolver and pulled out an ipad from his hammerspace (The very same way Amy would pull out her hammer.), then turned it on, and opened up Facetime on it. When the screen had loaded, the face of the pale, red-haired man appeared.

"Hello, Sonic…" He said.

Sonic looked at the screen for a moment, then asked, "I'm sorry, have we met?"

"Oh, but we have…" The man continued, "_**MANY**_ times. Like that time in Station Square when I unleashed Chaos upon the city, and you stopped me… Or like the time when I tried to unleash Dark Gaia from the depths of Mobius and you stopped me, despite being turned into a were-hedgehog… Or even… The time when I roboticized your dear, precious Sally-"

"**SHUT UP**!" Sonic bellowed, "You… There's absolutely _no way_ that you're still alive. You can't be him. You're just… Just a copycat who's done his homework."

"Believe what you want, Sonic…" The man continued, "It doesn't change a thing. It is I, Dr. Ivo Robotnik, and I have come back as a ghost, claiming his vengeance. But, I think, for simplicity's sake, you may call me… 'Bio Robotnik.'" Sonic glared right into Bio Robotnik's eyes on the screen. "**WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU DONE WITH SALLY**?!" He bellowed, white, hot fury burning in his emerald green eyes. Robotnik chuckled, then answered, "Whoa, temper, temper, Sonic. I haven't done anything with her." "**BULLSHIT**!" Sonic interjected. "Sonic…" Robotnik continued, "I speak nothing but the truth. Here, look:" He then turned the camara so that it faced Sally, still strapped to the table, but her eyes no longer held a hypnotized look, but instead held great, terrible fear in them, darting around the room every now and again, as if she was following something that only she could see. "You see?" He said, falsely reassuringly, "She's perfectly unharmed. In fact…" He turned the camara back to himself, then continued, "… I even welcome you to come rescue her." Sonic's temper died down as he looked at his long-time nemesis quizzacly. "Huh?" "You heard me." Robotnik went on, "I'll even leave the hangar bay doors open and the door to the room Sally is in unlocked. Hell, I'll even give you the coordinates of my vessel AND a map of it to make your search that much easier! It's the deal of a lifetime, Sonic… I'd honestly take it if I were you…" Sonic thought about the pros and consequences of this for a moment.

On one hand, he could rescue Sally and protect her from harm once again, just like he had promised her father before he had passed.

On the other hand, it could very well be a trap, and he could possibly have a repeat of that incident twenty-five years ago…

Or worse…

Sonic gulped, then gave his answer. "I'll come." He said. Tails looked to him, his eyes wide with shock. Zephyr remained silent, occasionally glaring at Robotnik through his peripheral vision. "Sonic, you can't-" Tails began, but Sonic raised a hand, gesturing for him to be quiet. "But, I want your word that once I've rescued Sally, that you will call off your army and leave Mobotropolis and never return." Robotnik raised his right hand, and answered "You have my word." "And," Sonic continued, "If I ever, and I mean, _**EVER**_ hear about you causing shit anywhere on the planet, then I will come over there personally and fuck you up. Understand?" Robotnik nodded, faking politness, obviously. "The coordinates and map I promised are entered into the ipad my little 'messenger' brought you so that I may speak to you." He then looked one final time into Sonic's eyes, then said, "Good luck, Sonic." The video feed then turned off, and the gangster chao then handed the ipad to Tails, then said, "If ya follow me, I'll blow ya' brains out, capische?" He then pulled out the revolver again, then fluttered off towards the city. Tails looked at the pad, then at Sonic, then said, "Sonic, you know it's gotta be a trap. We can't-" "I made a promise to her father, Tails…" Sonic interrupted, "I promised him that I would continue to protect her, even if it costed me my life. I almost lost Sally all those years ago, and I'll be absolutely damned if I lose her again." "Sonic's right." Zephyr chimed in all of a sudden, "We can't let Robotnik have his way again. I say, if it means rescuing Sally and saving the kingdom, then it's well worth the risk!" Tails looked at the two of them for a moment, then contemplated wheter or not this was the way to go, then finally said, "I can get us there with the Tornado. After all, I've made quite a few improvements to it over the years." "And I can go over to the armory and get some weapons and equipment," Said Zephyr, "I figure if at least one of us is armed, we'll stand more of a chance against Robotnik's forces." Sonic looked to the two of them, took a deep breath, then said, "Then let's do it to it… For good this time!"

_To be continued…_


	17. Chapter 14: Rescuing Sally: Part 1

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapter also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters**

**Reader descretion is advised**

**Chapter Fourteen: Rescuing Sally: Part one**

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_Royal Armory_

_Acorn Castle_

_2:33 PM_

/

"Jeez, I had no idea that we had so many kinds of guns." Said Sonic, picking up a Colt M4A1 SOPMOD rifle with an attached ACOG scope, foregrip, laser sight, and tactical light, "I don't even recognize most of these." "Clash might be more of an expert on this sort of thing," Tails retorted, picking up an MP5A4 with an attached red dot sight and silencer, "I mean, he _was_ a Marine, after all." Sonic put the rifle back on it's rack. "I still hate these things…" He said, "They're a coward's weapon." "I assure you, your highness…" Said Zephyr, loading an FN SCAR H with an attached Aimpoint sight and laser sight, "There's absolutely nothing cowardly about these. A lot of these are used by today's military legions." Sonic sighed. "I know, it's just…" he turned to him and continued, "It's just I'm not really fond of the whole 'killing from afar' thing." "Well, it's just how it's done nowadays." Zephyr replied. "Zephyr's right," Tails chimed in, picking up an MK. 48 with an attached red dot sight, foregrip and laser sight, "If we're gonna rescue Sally _and_ stand a chance against Robuttnik's new legion, we're gonna need all the firepower we can get." He also took a bunch of various tech equipment and put them in his two thigh-worn tool pouches. Zephyr got a backpack and put in it an Remington 870 MCS with an attached red dot sight, laser sight, shell holders and a tactical light attached to the pump, an Ingram MAC-11 and extra clips for it, flashbangs, shock mines, some C4, and a medkit. He also put on a tactical military vest and a sheath holding a tactical knife that he strapped around his left shoulder. He then placed ammo into the respective pouches of his vest; mags in ammo pouches, shells in shell holders, etc., then put on a tactical wrist communicator device (TWCD) and pressed his thumb to the touch screen, the device recognizing his fingerprint. "Alright," Said Zephyr, "We all ready?" Sonic looked to Tails, who did the same, then both looked to Zephyr and nodded. Zephyr then slung his backpack over his back, then said, "Right then. Let's go."

The group then ran to the Royal Hangar and over to Tails' pride and joy; The Tornado. It was a biplane he had built when he was but eleven-years-old, but had since made numerous modifications to it over the years, a lot of which had aided him and his friends in a lot of battles. Tails slung the machine gun on his back, then got in the pilot's seat. Sonic got on his usual spot on the top of the wings, where a set of handlebars and a harness were mounted (for safety, of course.), and Zephyr got in the passenger/gunner's seat. The doors to the hangar opened after Tails pressed a button on a small remote control he kept in his left tool pouch, then started up the engine. The propeller immediately spun to life. He then slipped his goggles over his eyes, then flipped a few switches, then started down the runway, then took off. He hooked up the Ipad to his plane's advanced navigation system, then flew off towards where they needed to go. "So Tails…" Sonic said all of a sudden, "Even though I'm king now, I'm still your wingman, right?" Tails gave a nostalgic sigh. "You're so self-concious about that." He glanced back at him, then said, "Sonic, you can be my wingman _anytime_." "You realize that movie's gay, right?" Zephyr asked sarcastically. Tails shrugged. "Zephyr, I _still_ have yet to see any reason why Top Gun is gay. Now, how about some music?" He then pressed the play button on his digital music player, and then, relevantly, 'Take my Breath Away' by Berlin started playing. Zephyr gave him a look that said 'case in point', and upon seeing that, Tails sighed then said, "Fine. No music." He then turned off the music player and continued to fly them over the city. Looking down, Sonic saw the unadulterated destruction and chaos below; royal guardsmen, MPD Swat Teams, and Mobotropolis Public Security (MPS) forces all clashing against Eggtroopers and robotic dopplegangers, citizens getting caught in the crossfire and being killed or brutally injured, helicopters either providing air-support or transporting the injured to the hospital; overall mass hysteria! Sonic clutched harder at the handlebars, gritting his teeth and seething with rage. _That monster…_ he thought, furious, _I'll make him pay after I rescue Sally. _Before long, they were outside the city limits, and were flying over vast, green-hilled fields, polluted only by crashed helicopters and the bodies of the casualties of the battle. Tails looked ahead and saw a colossal airship that was black as night. It was about the size of a navy destroyer ship, and looked like it was just as armed as one, too. Tails checked the screen the Tornado's navigation system, and pointed to a flashing yellow area of the map of the ship he had been generously provided with. "There," He said, "There's where the Hangar bay is." "Alright!" Said Sonic, "Now, I guess you'll put the Tornado on autopilot and we'll just jump over to it or something, right?" Tails shook his head with a smile. "Not even close…" He said, "Watch this." He then flipped a switch on the dashboard that read 'VTOL mode' and after he did that, a set of booster engines slid out of the sides of the lower wings, then flipped upright and then ignited, causing the plane to hover. Next, the propeller stopped spinning, then folded in on itself, followed by the propeller part of the hybrid engine converting into a jet engine. Sonic watched with awe. "You weren't kidding when you told me that you'd made modifications to the Tornado that one time." He said. "A man's gotta have a hobby." Tails responded. "Most men collect trading cards, some build models…" Zephyr added, "Tails apparently likes messing with Sonic's plane." Tails then landed the plane right on the flight deck of the hangar bay, then turned off the engine. He and then others then got off, getting a good look around before charging off. Tails took his goggles off of his eyes then slipped them back on his head before pulling out a locater device he had programmed the map into. He looked over it carefully, then put it back in his right tool pouch, then got out the SAW he had taken from the armory and pulled on the loading handle, chambering a round. Zephyr did the same with his rifle, switching on the laser sight, as Tails followed suit. Sonic looked at his best friend concerningly. "Tails, do you even know how to use that thing?" He asked. "Clash taught me how to use some forms of firearms sometime after the Silver Bullet wars began. Right after…" He stopped himself before finishing his statement. Sonic turned his head, curiously. "… Right after what?" He asked. Tails shook his head dismissively. "Nothing. Nevermind." He answered. Tails then started to lead the pack as they left the hangar and went on through the hallway. Although Sonic wondered what Tails was about to say earlier, he quickly put it out of his mind, as the only thing that mattered to him right now was rescuing Sally. They went through hallway after hallway, going up stairs and turning corners every now and again.

Until…

Sonic's ears perked up instantly as he heard someone approaching them from behind. He turned around, and felt a cold rush of fear go through him. "What's wrong?" Zephyr asked. Sonic directed him and Tails' gaze to behind them. "Oh shit…" Said Zephyr.

It was Mecha Sally.

… Or at least, it looked like her. It had the same paint job she had when she first became her, as well as the same digital blue eyes, ones that held the same, cold, emotionless gaze that they held long ago.

"We're… We're too late…" Said Sonic, tears welling up in his eyes. Zephyr looked at the robotic version of his longtime childhood friend, heartbroken to see her in this state once more. Tails, however, wasn't fooled. He aimed his machine gun right at 'Mecha Sally'. Sonic looked to him, his eyes wide with fear. "No!" He exclaimed, "You can't! She's-" "Not the real Sally!" Tails finished. Sonic looked at him funny. "Wh-what?" "This is Eggman we're dealing with, Sonic!" Said Tails, "He's not gonna just roboticize her and have her kill you. He wants to break you. He wants you to suffer." He then returned his gaze to the robotic doppleganger. "Isn't that right… You fake!" He asked it, glaring daggers at it. The 'not Sally' started slowly walking towards Tails. Standing his ground, Tails fired a few bursts from his machine gun, the bullets making small impacts on the metal body of the fake. Once it was close enough, it smacked the SAW out of Tails' hands, then choke-slammed him to the ground. It then took another step back, then spoke.

"You are indeed perceptive, Miles." It said, it's automated voice completely devoid of emotion, "However…" A panel opened up on the robot's chest, revealing a C4 explosive device, a small, black flatescreen moniter in covering the middle of it, bearing a 5 second timer. "… Perceptiveness won't save you this time…" It finished. Tails went wide-eyed with horror at this. "**FUCK**!" yelled Zephyr, grabbing Sonic by the back of his spines, and Tails by the fur on his head, "**GET DOWN**!" Just as they all ducked, the bomb detonated, bringing with it a loud, audible explosion.

Sonic then blacked out from shellshock.

_To be continued…_


	18. Chapter 14: Rescuing Sally: Part 2

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapter also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters.**

**Reader Descretion is advised**

**Chapter Fourteen: Rescuing Sally: Part two**

_Royal infirmary_

_Acorn Castle_

_17 years ago…_

_/_

_Sonic and Sally walked towards the sickbed wing of the royal infirmary, holding hands, both looking equally depressed. Sally stopped for a moment, looking away from the hall in front of them for a moment. Sonic looked to her. "What's wrong?" He asked, concern in his voice. Sally gave a sad sigh. "It's just…" She began, but was briefly interrupted by a sniffle. "Look, I know you don't like seeing him like this," Said Sonic, putting a hand on her back, "But it's just how it is. People grow old, and eventually, they die. It happens to everyone, regardless of age, race, religion or creed." Just then, they were approached by a 20-year-old human male. He had light skin, short black hair that was matted in some areas, but looked as though he attempted to comb it, green eyes, and wore a set of half-frame glasses, a white lab coat overtop a grey 'Medical University of Anchorage' t-shirt, black dress pants, and had a bead prayer necklace with an amulet depicting Maria Kintobor as an angel. "Doctor Balto…" Said Sonic, "Is he…" Balto shook his head. "No, not yet." He responded, solemnly, "But soon. If you're going to talk to him, now's the time." He then led the two down the hall to a certain room, with two royal guardsmen armed with MP5s guarding the door. Balto motioned for the two to enter. Sally looked to Sonic, on the verge of tears. Sonic looked back for a moment, then gave a brief, weak smile, then took her hand. The two then entered the room, but were pushed aside for a moment as an angry Tails brushed by, storming off towards the opposite direction that the two heros had come from. Sonic looked to Sally, then, although not verbally, they agreed to address that at a later time. They then proceeded inside._

_It was a bit of a grisly sight. The once proud King Maximillion Acorn now lay in a hospital bed, hooked up to a bunch of life support machines, some of which gave a beep in ten second intervals, indicating that he was still hanging on to his life. He was very sickly-looking, primarily due to age, but also because of his declining health that had taken a nose-dive in recent years. His eyes looked glossy, and held in them signs of forbodiing death, and his fur was duller than it had been in previous years. Kneeling next to the bed was Sally's older brother, Elias, barely holding in his tears. _

_Standing in the corner of the room was Commander Clash, who was in his early forties at the time, who glanced over to Sonic and Sally once, before returning his gaze to the sight of the man who had enlisted him and his old marine unit's help during the war, dying. Next to him was Jake, who looked guilty for something he had said to his brother earlier. And to the left of those two was Rotor, who every so often took a moment to wipe a tear away from his eyes. _

_Sally took one look at her father, then winced sorrowfully. Sonic put his hand on hers, then led her over to him. She bit her lip, attempting to hold in her tears. "H-hey dad…" she said weakly. Maximillion turned his gaze to her. "… Sally…" He said, his voice as weak as his body was at the moment, "Is that you?" Sally nodded. "Yes." She answered with a slight whimper. He then reached his left hand out to her, trembling slightly. "… Sweetie…" He managed to say, "My how you've grown…" He then took a closer look at Sally's figure. "… You're…" He began, "Your first?" Sally nodded, gingerly rubbing her enlarged, pregnant belly. "She's due any day…" She told him, managing a sweet half-smile, "Doctor Balto said she's going to be a squirell hybrid like me. It's also possible that she might inherit Sonic's superspeed. Just imagine: Watching her… speeding across the castle… rushing all… over… the…" It was at that very sentence that Sally couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She fell to her knees and wept by her father's side. "Oh, dad…" She cried, "Oh god… please don't die! I… I love you!" She wept until Maximillion put his finger to her lips, as if to tell her to 'hush' She looked at him when he did this. He looked up at her, smiling weakly and sweetly, tears in his eyes as well. He then looked at Sonic, then said, "Sonic… My boy… Come here for a moment… I wish to share with you my dying wish…" Sonic obeyed, kneeling down right beside his head. "My last wish… No…. My last request is only this... Promise me… Promise me that you will continue to do as you have done in the past, and protect my daughter from those who wish to bring harm to her or our people. Promise me… That you'll do this…" Sonic thought for a moment, then looked him in the eyes, then said, "I will. I promise I will continued to protect her, and that I will never allow anyone to do to her what Eggman did to her all those years ago. I swear to you… If anyone tries to hurt her…" Sonic blinked some tears out of his eyes, "… I'll hurt them back!" Maximillion looked at him for a moment, then replied with, "… Thank you, Sonic. I finally rest, knowing my daughter is in good hands. Just make sure… My… Granddaughter… Knows… My… Name…" Maximillion's eyelids then slowly slid over his eyes. He then gave his last breath…_

_And then he was gone…_

/

_Present day…_

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Sonic regained conciousness, waking up to the sound of his ears ringing, and his head reeling. "Hey… Your highness.." He heard someone say. He looked to his right, and could make out the shape of Zephyr's head. "Z… Zephyr?" Zephyr nodded. "You alright?" He asked. Sonic nodded, pulling himself up. "My head hurts, my ears won't stop ringing…" He replied, sarcastically, "Aside from that, I'm fine. But… What about…" He was cut short by the sound of Tails, crying out in pain. The two then rushed to his side, shocked with what they saw.

Tails lay on his back, clutching his left tail, blood rushing from behind where his hands were holding it. "What happened?" Sonic asked, "What happened?!" Zephyr knelt down beside him, getting the medkit out of his bag. "Let me see…" He instructed. Wincing, Tails let go of the tip of his tail.

… Or at least, it _would_ have been the tip of his tail, but it seemed as if the very top half of it had been blown off by the explosion earlier. Bloody shreds of fur and flesh hung from the stub where the tip of his tail had been, and blood still continued to trickle down from it.

When Sonic saw this, a white-hot wave of rage rose inside him, like magma in a volcano about to erupt in an explosion of molten hellfire. While Zephyr went and bandaged up Tails' ruined tail, Sonic started thinking thoughts he knew he normally wouldn't, as a single word came to his mind…

Revenge…

He wanted revenge…

"Can you walk?" Zephyr asked. Tails only nodded. Suddenly, Sonic bellowed out a roar of pure, unadulterated anger. "I'll kill him…" He said through gritted teeth. "But Sally-" Zephyr began, but was immediately interrupted by Sonic, who hissed, "We'll get her! Then, we'll-" "Sonic!" Said Zephyr, grabbing him by his shoulders, "With all due respect, listen to me. We'll get him. I assure you. But right now, you have a promise to uphold. Remember?" Sonic thought back to the promise he made to Sally's father years ago, then calmed down. "… Okay." He said, "Let's go rescue her." He then charged ahead, giving Tails and Zephyr only seconds to grab their gear and catch up.

They continued down the hallways until Tails said, "This is it! This is the door!" The other two stopped and joined him in front of it. Sonic tried to open it with the open button, but to no avail. "It's locked." Said Zephyr. "Not a problem." Said Tails, pushing him aside, "I got this." He then reached inside his right tool pouch and pulled out a small, brass device that was about the size of a ballpoint pen, but had a small orange button on the side of it, as well as a sensor light on the tip of it. Zephyr eyed the device curiously. "The fuck is that?" he asked. "It's a little something I learned how to build after that 'Doctor' friend of Silver's visited that one time. You know? The 'almost' invasion of the Cybermobians?" "Oh, yeah, I remember that!" Said Sonic, giving a nostalgic smile, "And then there was that time when that 'Master' guy came and tried to take over Mobius by using the Chaos Emeralds, and I was all like 'Oh shit!' but then-" "Yeah, yeah, anyways," Tails interrupted, "Watch this…" He then pointed it at the control panel at the side of the door and pressed the button on the side of it, causing it to emite a noise that was a mix between a beep and a buzz, and causing the sensor light at the tip of it to light up. When this happened, the door was unlocked, and shortly opened. "Yeah! Way to go Tai-" Sonic stopped for a moment, realizing that it might be possible that he could no longer refer to Tails by the nickname he had acquired since the begininning of their friendship. Zephyr saw this, then put a hand on his shoulder and said, "We'll sort that out later." The group then walked over to the large metal table in the middle of the room that Sally was strapped to. Their eyes widened in shock at the sight laid before them.

She was a mess. Her hair and fur were all messy and all over the place, her facial fur was stained with tears and mucus that had leaked from her nose when she had cried a couple of times previously, her once-beautiful sky-blue gown was covered in sweat and tear stains. Her eyes were also wide with terror, bloodshot as well. She was also breathing very deeply, as if she had just run a marathon.

Sonic winced as he looked at her. "S-Sal? Are you-" He began, but was immediately interrupted by Sally letting out a loud, bloodcurdling scream, as she saw someone looking at her…

Someone only _she_ could see.

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_Sally's mind..._

/

Sally looked up and met the gaze of her new tormentor. It was herself, except she was completely naked and had eyes what were black as shadows, but had crimson, blood red iris'. Tears of blood flowed from this other her's eyes. "Let me take over…" the other her hissed, baring her sharp, beastly fangs, "Allow me to lend you my power…" "**NO**!" She screamed, "**I WON'T**! **I WON'T LET YOU TAKE CONTROL OF ME**!"

/

_Reality…_

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Sonic looked at her, confused as to who she was talking to. "Sal!" He said, taking her hand, then looking her in the eyes, "Sal, it's me! Sonic!" Sally then snapped out of brief hallucination, and gazed into her husband's eyes. "S-Sonic…" She said. Sonic nodded and smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry! I'm here to rescue you!" he then undid the four straps that bound Sally to the table, then helped her off of it. She struggled to stand, but was eventually able to do so. She then saw her other two saviors, Zephyr, who she greeted like any other childhood friend, and Tails, who she asked if he was okay, but he assured her he was fine. They were then about to leave the room, when they were greeted by a bunch of Eggtroopers, armed with various assault weapons. "Don't move, mobians." Said one of them. "Shit…" Zephyr cursed under his breath. Sonic then pulled out the switchblade Riley gave to him earlier that day and deployed the blade. Seeing this, Tails immediately asked, "Where did you get that?"

"Riley gave it to me earlier." Sonic answered.

"Why?"

"Cause apparently, Amy still wants to rape me hard against a wall!"

"… Makes sense."

"Sonic, I hate to burst your bubble…" Said Zephyr, "But you just brought a knife to a gunfight." Suddenly, Sally grabbed the knife, and threw it straight into the neck of the eggtrooper in front of them, puncturing his jugular vein. Then, with almost Sonic-levels of speed, she then ran up to him, grabbed his SMG and his pistol, and killed the rest of the soldiers. When it was over, She stood over her kills, looking at her handywork. The three friends watched this, wide with amazement. "Holy shit, Sal!" Said Sonic, "I didn't know you could-" He stopped when she turned around.

For a brief moment, Sally's eyes became the same as that of the hallucination version of herself. After that moment, they went back to normal, and she then looked down at what she had down, horrified. "D-Did I… Do this?" She stammered. Sonic looked to her and nodded.

After a long pause, Sally then said, "… We need to get out of here." Sonic the grabbed her hand. "That's the plan, anyway! C'mon!" The two then ran ahead. Before following, Zephyr looked to Tails, giving a look that spoke more than words would have for this moment.

Something was indeed wrong with Sally…

_To be continued…_


	19. Chapter 14: Rescuing Sally, part 3

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapter also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters**

**Reader descretion is advised.**

**Chapter fourteen: Rescuing Sally: Part Three**

_City Square_

_Central Mobotropolis_

_2:51 PM_

_/_

"Okay, understood. Knuckles out." Knuckles turned his TCH back on standby after receiving a call from Clash. He then looked to the others. So far, he, Julie-Su and Antoine had managed to meet up with Riley, Amy, Cream, Lien-Da, Rouge and Bean. They were currently taking cover in a church that had been cleared out to be used as a shelter. "Okay guys," He began, "Here's the skinny: Jake and Bunnie are both down, and our Royal Guard and MPS Forces just aren't cutting it." Mixed reactions came from each of the teammates;

"Sacre bleu!" Said Antoine, worriedly, "Bunnie… Mon petite chou fleur…"

"Jake? Jake's hurt?" Asked Riley, "These guys were even powerful enough to take _him_ down?!"

"He's usually one of our strongest," Cream added, "Damn, whoever built these things must have really been busy for years."

"Dammit, Cream!" Lien-Da scolded, "You know goddamn well who's behind all this!"

Cream glared at Lien-Da. "You don't know that!" She snapped.

"Come on, kid, use your head." Lien-Da responded, "Think about it; these guys have the same kind of robots, the same choice in henchmen, same fucking emblem for Fausfirus' sake! Let's face it: Eggman's back. There's no other explaination."

"Anyways, as I was saying," Knuckles continued, slightly annoyed by his teammates getting off topic, "Clash said he was going to try to get us backup, but we have to hold this position until he gets here. This might even end up being our last stand."

Just then, the holographic image of Nicole materialized in front of them. "Heads up guys," She told them, "There are multiple hostiles surrounding the building." Rouge pulled out her Walther P99 semi-automatic pistol, pulled on the slide, then crept over to a window and peeked outside. Sure enough, the group was indeed completely surrounded. "Shit." She said, "Looks like you're right, knux. This might be our very own equivalent of 'Custer's last stand'" Bean then stepped forward. "Then I say, we go out with a bang." He said. He then got out an RC car with a remote-detonation plastic explosives device attached to it, then opened the front door just wide enough for it to go through. Next, he placed the car on the floor facing front towards the door, then got out the remote control for it, then made zoom out the front door. Knowing her roommate for who he was, Rouge closed the door a little bit, as if to provide cover for what she knew he was planning. Finally, Bean put his finger on a red button on the bottom of the remote control, then said, "Ska-doosh." He then pressed the button, which detonated the explosives, causing a massive explosion outside that clear nearly a third of the crown of enemies. He then pulled out a China Lake pump-action grenade launcher he had slung on his back, flipped up the iron sight and pulled on the pump. "How's _that_ for crowd control?" He asked with a smirk. Knuckles looked to him, the towards the door and said, "Whatever. Team, let's go."

They all then charged out the door, some sporting a one-lineresque battle cry.

"For Bunnie!" Antoine yelled.

"**KEE-YAH**!" Yelled Riley.

"Ka-**BOOOOOM**!" yelled Bean, firing a grenade at a group of enemies.

Some of the rest just yelled their lungs out. Knuckles punched out a robotic copy of himself, uppercutting it's head clean off! "Nothing beats the original," He said, "Especially not a cheap-assed metal copycat!"

Riley managed to slice the head of an Eggtrooper clean off with his claymore, and after he had done so, he yelled, "**THERE CAN BE ONLY ONNNNNNNE**!"

Amy, who had suddenly found herself cornered by an Eggtrooper that had her pinned down against a wall, his tactical knife at her throat, used a trick she had learned to do one time. Without a word, she locked lips with the Eggtrooper in a brief makeout kiss. When she pulled away finally, the soldier had been left confused at what just transpired, as well as letting his guard down. She then knee-jabbed him square in the balls, causing him to fall to the ground. She then looked down to him and with a playful smile, taunted, "You should know better than that. A true lady doesn't kiss like that on the first date!"

Cream sent a large shirikun flying towards a Silver Sonic V3.0, severing it's upper body from it's legs. She then locked blades with a Mecha Sally V2, her own hook swords against it's energy blades.

The battle seemed to go on forever, but it seemed as if the enemies just kept on coming. However, just as all hope seemed lost, the group then heard the buzzing of helicopters approaching. They then took cover as a bunch of hostiles were mowed down by machine gun fire from some of the combat helicopters. A lone blackhawk then hover slightly above the ground, and out from the passenger bay jumped Commander Clash, wielding an M60E4 light machine gun, his right hand holding the gun itself, and the left holding the ammo belt. He literally cut a path through a bunch of enemies, mowing them all down much like John Rambo would.

This battle was quickly becoming one that would make your blood boil…

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_Airship Genocide_

_That exact same moment…_

/

Zephyr shot at a few more Eggtrooper with his rifle, until the entire clip was empty. He then pulled out the R870 MCS he had brought with him and switched to that to save ammo on his rifle. Him and Tails were trying their best to keep up with Sonic and Sally, but had little success until Sonic had been tackled by Geoffrey St. John, who was wielding a combat knife. Sally looked back to him, fear and worry in her eyes. "Sonic!" She called out. "Go!" He responded, "I'll catch up!" he then punched the treasonous skunk right in the face. Zephyr aimed his shotgun at him, but Sonic shook his head. "I'll handle it, just go on without me for now." He instructed. Zephyr looked to Sally, then back to him. He and Tails then went over to Sally, and he said, "C'mon, we'll meet him at the hangar bay." Sally looked to her husband, who had sustained a single slice to the face by Geoffrey's knife. "C'mon!" Zephyr repeated, grabbing her by the hand and dragging her along as the three friends made a beeline towards the hangar.

Once they got there, Tails jumped into the cockpit and started up the engine. "We'll wait 25 minutes." Said Tails, "After that, we leave without him." however, about 19 minutes in, The door they had entered through opened, and from it came Sonic, running towards Sally. "Sonic!" Sally exclaimed, happy that he was okay. She then ran towards him.

However, they both failed to notice the single sniper posted up on a catwalk above them.

Suddenly, a single gunshot rang out.

There was a splash of blood…

A scream…

Then…

Sonic fell to the floor, a bullet hole drilled right through his chest…

_To be continued…_


	20. Chapter 15: Death of a Hero

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapter also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters, except this one now includes major character death**

**Reader descretion is advised**

**Chapter fifteen: Death of a hero**

Sally looked down at her husband, who now lay in a pool of his own blood. She knelt down beside him, cradling his body in her arms. Zephyr, however, looked up to the catwalk where the sniper was. All he saw was a mobian, female, most likely, clad in a night-black full-body skintight lycra catsuit complete with a tail sheath, slinging a sniper rifle on her back and running off. _Fuck…_ Zephyr thought, _who is she?_ His train of thought was interrupted by Tails yelling, "Guys, we gotta go! C'mon!" Zephyr snapped back to reality, then ran to Sally. "C'mon, your highness, we have to go." He told her. Sally glanced to him for a moment, then back down at Sonic. Suddenly, Sonic emitted a loud cough. Sally was instantly relieved. "Sally, c'mon!" Zephyr repeated, raising his voice this time, "If we go now we can get him to a hospital and we can save him! but we have to go now!" Sally then picked up Sonic in her arms, then got on the top deck of the the Tornado, strapping the safety harness around herself and Sonic. Zephyr then got in the back passenger's seat and buckled in as well. Tails then started up the hybrid engine of the Tornado then took off. Once he was completely out of the hangar, Tails switched the plane back into flight mode, making it transform back into a regular biplane.

Meanwhile, on the side maintenance catwalk on the side of the ship, the mysterious assassin pulled out an M202 FLASH rocket launcher that she had brought with her after sniping Sonic, determined to finished the task she had been given. She aimed it at the tail end of the Tornado. Next, she switched on the guidance system on the launcher's sights, then kept pointing it at the target until it emitted a beeping noise, meaning that it was locked on. She then fired the first rocket at the plane.

Zephyr was the first to spot the first rocket. "**SHIT**!** ROCKET LAUNCHER**!" He yelled, but it was too late. The rocket connected with the tail of the plane, causing it to explode and shatter. Tails was shoved headfirst into the windshield of the cockpit by the blast, causing him to go unconcious. Sally, however, ended up falling off the plane after the handlebar was torn off the top by the blast. Zephyr looked down in horror as Sally and the mortally wounded Sonic plummeted to the ground. "**SALLYYY!**" He yelled. He then turned his attention to Tails. He had been knocked out by the blast, and the plane was losing altitude fast. Couragously, He undid his seatbelt, then climbed into the cockpit, moving the unconcious Tails aside as he tried to stablize the plane, so that he could at least land it somewhat safely. Of course, this proved difficult as he didn't even know how to fly a plane in the first place. The only time he ever got close to flying one was when he had played Microsoft Flight Simulator, and he actually borrowed that game from Tails.

Things looked bleak for our heroes…

Sally looked upwards as she fell, watching as the airship above became smaller and smaller, then turned over and looked down, as the ground seemed to get closer and closer. She glanced to Sonic, who was falling face-up, blood still flowing from his wound. She lunged towards him and grabbed him, holding him close. She then closed her eyes, bracing herself for the inevitable…

But, suddenly…

She was caught by a familiar brown quillpig, riding a sky-blue hoverboard. Sally looked at her rescuer, astonished. He smiled, then said, "Hello there. Name's Charlie. You must be Sally, am I right?" Sally nodded, still slightly shocked. "H-how did you-" She began, but Charlie stopped her. "Don't worry about that right now." Suddenly, the sound of a crash and an explosion rang out in the distance. Charlie and Sally looked to their left, and saw that Zephyr had barely managed to land the Tornado. "Friends of yours?" He asked her. She simply nodded. "Then let's go meet up with them." he then sped towards the ground where Zephyr had crashed. Once they were on the ground, Sally gasped.

The once-magnificent multipurpose biplane was now a smoldering wreck, flames engulfing most of the wreckage. Zephyr was crouched over Tails on the ground a few feet away. Sally ran over, Sonic still in her arms. It wasn't until she hear Tails moaning in pain that she slowed her pace. When she saw him, she almost cried.

His left hand had been severed clean off by a piece of shrapnel from the propeller.

Zephyr had bandaged it as best as he could with the medkit, but he still needed to be taken to a hospital. "How's Sonic?" Zephyr asked. Sally then remembered that she had been carrying Sonic this whole time. She then gently placed him on the ground. The group gathered around him. "Sonic?" Said Sally, "Are you…" Sonic coughed again, a spurt of blood coming out that time. "Ungh… Sal…" He said. "Don't worry, Sonic." Sally reasurred him, "You're gonna be okay. We're gonna get you to the hospital, we're gonna get you fixed up-" "Sally…" Sonic interrupted, "I think I've hung out with Clash long enough to know I'm done for…" He pointed to his chest, "I was… Shot in the chest… That's a kill point… Even if you get me to the hospital, it won't matter. I'll still-" He coughed again, more violently this time, getting blood on Sally's left cheek. "Sally… Listen…" Sally perked her ears, intending to hear what Sonic had to say. "I did it…" He began, "I fufilled that promise I made to your father… I… Well, at least, I tried to protect you… But now… You gotta promise _me_ something…" "Wh-what's that?" Sally asked, on the verge of tears. Sonic then jerked Sally's head closer, then whispered with a low growl, "Kill him… Kill Eggman for doing all of this…" he then let go of Sally's head. "And also…" he continued, "Tell Manik… I was… Wrong… about the good guys… Always… Win… Wi…" He drew his last breath, his eyes glossing over.

And he was gone…

Sally, looked horrified. "S-Sonic…" She said, shaking him. "Get up… Get up…"

She shook him again.

"You have to get up…"

She continued to shake him.

"Please! Wake up!"

Tears started to gush from her eyes.

"**C'MON, DAMMIT**!** DON'T YOU DIE ON ME YOU FUCKING IDIOT**!"

She stopped shaking him, letting out a loud, scream.

She then fell, weeping on his blood-soaked chest.

Tails started crying too, but not as audibly as Sally was. He probably wanted to look tough in front of Sonic one last time.

Zephyr just stared, sorrowfully. He'd seen something like this happen before in his life, and tried his best not to remember that particular moment in his life.

Charlie, however, stared as well. _Well, so this is it…_ he thought, _This is how he died._ A single tear flowed from his right eye. _At least now I know how it happened. I guess that's one thing I don't need to find out that I hadn't in this time period. But still…_ He looked back up towards the Airship Genocide. _Who was the one that killed him?_ he wondered.

/

_Locker rooms_

_Airship Genocide_

_That very same moment…_

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The mysterious mobian from before placed her sniper rifle back into it's carrying bag. Before she zipped it up, she took off the skintight mask she wore as part of her outfit off, revealing her face. She then let her hair back down, as it had been bundled up in a bun so she could slip the attached hood of her bodysuit over her head. "Great work out there." She turned towards the door. Geoffrey St. John stood there, a bandage on his nose from having it broken by Sonic. The female mobian remained silent. "Of course," St. John continued, "You failed to kill the others, but I suppose killing that spastic little twat is good enough."

The mobian still said nothing.

St. John frowned. "You know," He said, sternly, "It's rather rude to ignore someone when they're talking to you." He then approached the mobian, looked her in the eyes, then said, "Listen to me, you little wench," He told her, his temper flaring slightly, "I don't care that you're Robotnik's prized guinea pig for his little 'Sleeper cell' project, I'm _still_ your commanding officer, and as such, I demand that you at least acknowledge me when I'm talking to you." The mobian still remained silent. However, after a moment, she then uttered something in Overlandic, then turned to walk away. St. John scowled. "What was that?!" He barked, grabbing her shoulder before she could walk away, "I'm talking to you! What did you just-" He was cut short as the mobian grabbed his wrist then turned and threw him against the lockers in a submission hold. "Ascension…" She cooed in his ear. She then let him go, then walked off towards the women's changing room. St. John rubbed his wrist, then got out his communicator and spoke into it. "This is Commander Geoffrey St. John," He said, "Subject Vixen has comepleted her task. Deactivate her and return her to the hotel. After that, I want you to wipe her memory of what she did today. Make sure she still believes she's got severe narcolepsy and a drinking problem as always. Got it?" "Understood, commander." Said a voice on the other line. He then put away the communicator and watched. A bunch of eggtroopers entered the locker room and went into the women's changing room. There was the brief sound of a scuffle, followed by a slight shriek, then the sound of someone falling to the floor. After a few more minutes, the soldiers then walked out of the dressing room, carrying the now naked mobian out of the room. Once they were gone, St. John then walked into the changing room for a moment to see how they had done. A discarded black, skintight lycra jumpsuit and a pair of pink underwear were all that remained, but this time, there was one other article of clothing left…

A single, yellow hair ribbon…

_To be continued…_


	21. Chapter 16: A Bittersweet Reunion

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapters also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters**

**Reader descretion is advised.**

**Chapter Sixteen: A bittersweet reunion**

_City square_

_Mobotropolis_

_3:46 PM_

/

"It was like something out of a fucking video game, dad!" Vicky exclaimed, as she hugged her father after she and the others were reunited with their families, with the exception of three. "They were firing machine guns and grenades and shit, and then there were these mercenary soldier-looking dudes, and-" "Well, what matters now is that you're okay." Sherrock interrupted her, "Although, I'm not really thrilled with you going topless while 'fighting back' against the enemy with your friends, let alone being topless _or_ engaging the enemy without military training in general. You could have seriously gotten yourself killed. And also, while we're at it, please, _please_ put your shirt back on, dear, there are children present!" "Actually, Dad…" Vicky responded, sheepishly, "My shirt got torn to shreds by an exploding grenade." Sherrock took a moment to process this before facepalming, then calling out, "Someone please bring my daughter a blanket or something."

"And you helped fight them off?!" Vector asked his son, astonished. Argyle grinned. "Yep!" He replied, as a paramedic started removing a small shrapnel from his right forearm. "I really acted like a true Chaotix toda-**OWWWW**!" He yelled as the shrapnel was removed, then glared at the medic and yelled, "**SCREW YOU**! That hurt!" He then looked back to Vector and asked, "By the way, Dad, why are you dressed like a ballerina?" at this question, Vector suddenly realized he was _still_ his ridiculous-looking Chaotix outfit. "I'm gonna fucking kill you, Riley…" He cursed under his breath.

"… And I honestly think you should be lucky that you're still alive." Knuckles scolded his daughter, "What you did back there is by far the most reckless and foolish thing I've ever heard you doing!" "But dad," Lara began, "I… I had a vision last night that told me-" "I don't want to hear it right now!" Knuckles barked, "You'll be lucky if you're not grounded after this!" "Knux, give her a break, will ya?" Clash called out after hanging up on a TCH call, "She probably just wanted to prove that she can be of use or some shit." "**CLASH, SHE IS ****NOT**** YOUR DAUGHTER**!" Knuckles snarled at him, venom in his voice, "I don't need you telling me how to raise her!" "Maybe," Clash retorted cooly, "That wouldn't be a problem if stopped being so strict towards her and give her a little bit of freedom!" and just like that, Knuckles and Clash were at it again, arguing like a married couple.

Just then, Manik and Sonia, who were both sitting on a nearby bench after being inspected by the paramedics, saw their mother, Tails, and Zephyr approaching in the distance. "MOM!" Manik yelled, dahing towards her. The others stopped what they were doing and approached them as well. "Mom, you missed it!" Manik exclaimed, hyper as always, "There were these robot things attacking the city, and there were a few that looked like you and dad, and then-" He then noticed Sonic, still laying limp in Sally's arms. "Dad!" Manik exclaimed, thinking he was still alive. "Hey, dad! It's me, Manik!" The rambunctious youth called to him, unaware of the horrible truth, "You should've seen me out there, dad! I was kicking major ass!"

Sonic said nothing.

Manik tilted his head in confusion. "Hey, c'mon, dad, wake up!" he said, "I'm trying to tell you what happened."

Sonic still said nothing.

Getting impatient, Manik then tugged at his father's left glove, trying to pull his hand down to his level, as his mother seemed to be frozen in place, a sorrowful look on her face. He glanced up at her briefly, then went back to trying to wake up his father. "Dad… C'mon…" He said, "This isn't funny anymore…" He then went silent when he saw what was on his father's hand.

Blood…

Cream gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. Riley looked away in sorrow. Clash and Knuckles both bowed their heads in respect. The rest didn't really know what to say.

Sally knelt beside Manik, gently placing Sonic on the ground. She was about to hug Manik, when he immediately dashed to his father's side. "**NO**!" He screamed, "You can't be dead! Y-you just can't! Y-y-you're the hero! You're supposed to win!" Sally then embraced him in a warm hug, crying all the while. "I'm sorry, sweetie…" She told him, sobbing into his shoulder. After a moment's process, Manik then followed suit, followed shortly by Sonia.

Suddenly, rain began to fall.

I was as if the land of Mobius itself was weeping at the loss of their hero.

_To be continued…_


	22. Chapter 17: Aftermath

Author's note: a certain aspect of the nightmare scene in this chapter is inspired by a scene in my friend Hellfirestorm85's 'Bright Pink Insanity' well, the part with the hooks, at least. Also, speaking of which, you should totally check out his most recent fanfic "Full Body Straitjacket" It's only at chapter one, but I still think it's shaping up well. Also, one last announcement: once this fic reaches 1000+ views, I'm gonna try and do something special, like a one-shot or something. Alright, now I'm done. Enjoy the chapter.

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapter also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters**

**Reader descretion is advised.**

**Chapter seventeen: Aftermath**

_Sally awoke in a large, semi-lit room, with red and white checkerboard floors, but strangely, no walls. Feeling a draft, she looked down at herself. She was completely naked. Going wide-eyed with surprise, she covered up her exposed breasts with her hands, but she soon took them off of them once she realized that no one was around to see them._

_It was cold though._

_She took a few steps forward, then stopped after she hit her left foot on something. When she looked down to see what it was, she let out a shriek._

_It was Sonic, laying in a large puddle of blood, face down. Cautiously, she nudged him with her foot until he turned over, but soon wished that she hadn't done so._

_His eyes…_

_His eyes had been gouged out._

_Sally screamed again, louder this time. Suddenly, she saw a bunch of hooks attached to cables spring out from the ceiling and latch onto her hands and feet, piercing right through her skin. When she screamed this time, she felt as though she was wearing out her vocal cords. She was then pulled upwards by the hooks and suspended high above the floor, in a seemingly endless void. The hooks then pulled hard on each of her limbs, holding her tightly in place. She then felt another two latch onto her ears, then another to the base of her tail, soon followed by her nipples, then her vaginal lips, her eyelids, her tongue, then finally, her scalp. She breathed deep, shallow breaths as she glanced around, darting her eyeballs all around, as if she was looking for someone to come save her. Suddenly, she heard a voice._

"_Your hero is dead. No one can save you now." _

_She winced as the hooks slowly started pulling tighter on her body._

"_Mobius will be destroyed, there's nothing you can do to save it."_

_She felt as parts of her skin started to tear._

"_And you, and millions more, will all die."_

_She then screamed as she was ripped to pieces._

_/_

_Acorn Castle_

_3:23 AM_

_One week later…_

_/_

Sally re-awoke in her own bed with a shriek. She gave shallow breaths for about a minute, then looked to her left.

The spot on that side of the bed was empty.

Sally rolled over onto Sonic's pillow and wept, screaming straight into the pillow every now and again.

/

_Gingersnap café_

_The next day…_

/

Jake sat at the table he and Katelyn had picked at their favorite café. They had gone on their very first date their when they were younger, and they both liked it because it had lettuce wraps that were similar to the ones Bunnie used to make for them back when they were Freedom Fighters.

He held his head in his left hand, while his right held on to his mug of tea, trying to make the best of what the aftermath of Crimson Tuesday had left him with.

The acidic gunk that had been splashed in his eyes had severly damaged his retina, causing him to go completely blind. Because of this, it was starting to look like he would have to step down as Commander of the guard. He couldn't even have corrective surgery done on his eyes because of how bad the damage that they had done to them was. When they had the taken off bandages that day, his eyes had the sort of milky film over them that most blind people have, except it was completely bloodshot and pinkish-red, and parts of his eyelids were burnt off, and often gave off the smell of chemicals. So, since then, he simply wore a bandana over them, as not to shock anyone.

It was also the night of that very day that Katelyn had learned about Jake's current health situation.

It was called Kitsu's disease. It was a rare blood and tissue disorder that only occurs in Mobian foxes. What it does, is it slowly corrupts the blood cells and organ tissue of the host's body, then works it's way up to their immune system, their liver functions, etc. The most common symptoms of it are short, violent coughing fits, blood in the urine or feces, fur loss, violent, uncontrollable twitching of the tail, bloodshot eyes, dulling of fur, and vomiting blood.

Unfortunalty, there was currently no cure for it, but recently, they had developped treatment for it, which was the medicine Jake had been taking this whole time. Now Katelyn had to help him with that, among other things as well.

They also learned that the disease was hereditary, so it was very likely that either Trey or Skye could develop it.

Jake sighed loudly. It wasn't fair. None of it was. He didn't deserve a fate like this, and neither did anyone else. He sipped his tea, but then heard the sound of someone walking up next to him.

"Jake?" A familiar voice asked.

However, it wasn't Katelyn.

Jake's ears perked up, his other senses making up for his loss of sight. "Fiona?" He asked, placing his mug back down. "Is that you?"

"Yeah." Fiona responded, "Of course it's me. Can't you see-"

Jake looked in her direction and lifted his bandana, revealing his mangled eyes. Fiona winced. "Holy shit…" She said, "I'm so sorry." Jake slipped the bandana back over his eyes. "You couldn't have known. Speaking of which, where were you that day?" Fiona sat down in one of the other chairs at the table, then answered, "I have no fucking clue. The events of that day are still a bit of a blur. Then again, I developed narcolepsy as a result of too much interdimensional travel some time ago, so there you go." "What do you want, Fiona?" Jake asked, wanting her to be gone quickly. Fiona took a deep breath, then explained "I need your help, an-"

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?!"

Fiona looked back towards the door of the café and saw an angry and somewhat disgusted Katelyn looking at her, holding a bottle of apple juice in one hand. "I was getting to that, Ktanyel, if you'd let me!" Fiona responded cooly. Katelyn growled at hearing her true name spoken. She hated when people called her that, and Fiona knew this. "Katelyn…" Said Jake, "Just let her say what she wants to say. She's nothing to me relationshipwise anymore." Biting her lip, Katelyn took her seat at the table next to Jake. "Anyways, as I was saying," Fiona continued, "I need you guys' help with something." "What do you need help with?" Jake asked. "I… I keep hearing these… Numbers in my head." Fiona explained. "Numbers?" Jake asked, furrowing his brow. Fiona nodded, then replied, "Yeah. Numbers." She then pulled out a pack of cigarettes, then placed one in her mouth and lit it. After taking in a long puff from it, she continued. "Whenever I start hearing them, it's usual followed by a huge, painful migraine, followed by this word, this haunting word." "What word?" Katelyn asked. Fiona took another puff on the cigarette. "Ascension." She answered. "once that happens, everything after that becomes a blur, and the next thing I know, I wake up in a cheap hotel, often naked with a few bruises and no idea what had happened the night before." "So, why do you need _our_ help?" asked Jake. "Because right now…" Fiona responded, "You two are the _only_ people I can trust." "Well, what do you even want us to do about it?" Asked Katelyn. Fiona opened her mouth to explained, but was then suddenly overcome with a splitting headache. She fell off the chair and onto her knees, clutching the sides of her head, cigarette wedged between her fingers.

She then heard the numbers.

_3…_

_24…_

_20…_

_12…_

_19…_

_17…_

_17…_

"What's wrong?" Asked Katelyn. "I'm hearing them!" Fiona groaned, pain ovetaking her voice. "The numbers?" Katelyn asked. "Yeah, the fucking numbers! What else do you think i-" Fiona stopped mid-sentence as her eyes suddenly shifted into a trance-like look. Her pupils dialated, and her face developped a blank look. She then stood up, then turned around and started walking away. "Wait, Fiona, where are you going?" Katelyn asked worriedly. "There's something I have to go do…" She answered blankly. Jake, however, caught every other word that she spoke under her breath after that.

"Station Square… 6.5 Millimeter… Ascension…"

_Something's definatly wrong with her…_ he thought, _And this time, I don't think Scourge is behind any bit of it._

/

_Mobotropolis Retirement castle_

_That same moment…_

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ 

Ever since a certain mission during the Silver Bullet wars ended horribly, Amadeus Prower had been confined to a wheelchair, as he had been shot in both his legs.

Now, he was about ninety years old, way older than Clash was, even! He sat facing the window, away from the door of his room in the retirment home he'd lived in for the past year. He then heard the sound of someone entering the room, then instantly felt angry. "Hey! Nurse batshit!" He hollared, his voice raspier than Clash's was, turning his wheelchair to face the door, "I thought I told you I didn't want any visitors today! I swear, I'll ram this wheelchair right up your-" He stopped when he saw who it was.

The young, crimson haired stranger walked up to him, slowly, then stared at him for a moment, looking right into his eyes. Next, he opened Amadeus' right hand and placed a beautiful necklace, it's rose bush design forever stained with blood, right in his palm. He then leaned over to his ear, and whispered:

"Now it begins…"

_To be continued…_


	23. Chapter 18: Troubled

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapters also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters.**

**Reader descretion is advised**

**Chapter Eighteen: Troubled**

_Acorn Castle_

_Three and a half hours after the events of chapter seventeen…_

/

"… So you see, your Highness," one of Sally's royal councilmen went on, talking her ear off, "We have enlisted the aid of G.U.N. once more to try and find the current location of Eggman's base. They told us the would send out a S.O.G.(1) team consisting of the finest soldiers and agents they have to offer to seek out and apprehend this madman and put an end to his… Your Highness, are you listening?"

Sally sat in her throne, her head resting against her hand, napping. Clash, who was standing to the right of her throne, shook her shoulder, trying to wake her up. "Sal." He said, raising his voice high enough for her to her. She jolted awake, glancing left and right to see who woke her. She then looked to her royal councilman, who had just gave her his report. "I-I'm glad to hear that, councilman Renaldo," She said, attempting to blow him off, "Keep up the good work." Councilman Renaldo tilted his head in confusion. "Your Highness, are you alright?" He asked Sally glanced to Clash for a brief moment, who glanced back, his serious pokerface not leaving once. She then glanced back at Renaldo, then smiled sheepishly. "I-I'm fine!" She answered dissmissively, "Never been better!"

Of course, she wasn't fine. Since Sonic's death, Sally's nightmares had gotten increasingly worse over the course of the week that followed. Because of this, she lost quite a bit of sleep to these night terrors, sometimes not sleeping at all through fear of having a nightmare. Another factor that contributed to her loss of sleep was the fact that Sonic was no longer there to tell her that the nightmare was over and that everything would be alright. Additionally, she also didn't look 'fine' either; Her hair was messy and full of tangles and knots, and there were dark circles under her eyes, which always looked as thought she could fall asleep at any given moment.

"Are you sure?" He pressed on, "You looked as though you were sleeping right through my report on the progress of the manhu-" "**I SAID I'M FINE**!" Sally yelled, irritated. Renaldo flinched, expecting her royal wrath to be thrust upon him. Clash then stepped forward and said, in an effort to avoid a conflict, "Councilman Renaldo, why don't I help recommend some agents to suggest to G.U.N. to be put in this S.O.G. team they told us about. I know some good men that would be perfect for the job." He the glanced at Sally for a moment, then mouthed 'Calm the fuck down' He then walked off with Renaldo out of the throne room, leaving Sally alone. She sat for a bit, fidgeting with the skirt of her long, brown and gold silk gown, which flattered her figure quite a bit as it was very form-fitting. Just then, she heard another familiar voice come from her left. "Sally?" She turned to face her speaker. "What is it, Tails?" She asked her friend, yawning.

Out of all the people who had been injured gravely during the events of Crimson Tuesday, Tails was one of the ones who had it the worst. His left hand was now replaced by a robotic one that had been re-grown through medical roboticization. Unfortunately though, they couldn't save his tail, as there wasn't anything left of it to save due to it being ripped to shreds by the explosion of the Mecha Sally V2.0 back on the Genocide. So, now it was just a stump on the end of his tail.

"We need to talk." Tails responded. Sally stood up from her throne then turned and started walking away. "Before you even ask, I'm fine." She told him, as if to avoid whatever question he was about to ask her. "No you're not." Tails said sternly. Sally turned to him at this. "You're not sleeping," He went on, "You're avoiding people when they ask what's wrong, you're completely blowing off your own subjects, you haven't once consoled Manik, who from what he's told _me_, of all people, has been hit by Sonic's death the hardest, you look like hell itself, and you've been eating a lot sweets as of late, and I'm honestly surprised that your figure hasn't yet reflected that." Upon hearing that last part, Sally looked down at her waist. At the moment, it was still as thin, slightly muscular, and hourglass-like as it always was. It was true, though. She had been eating a lot of chocolate cake and Ben and Jerry's ice cream as of late. "Tails…" Said Sally, "I know you're worried about me, but I'm fine, really. I just… I just have a lot on my mind right now, and…" She stopped mid-sentence when she spotted someone over in the background.

It was the other Sally again, this time wearing a crimson red vest and boots as opposed to her usual blue ones, and her fur was a dark, ashy grey, and her hands were instead sharp, animal-like claws. Her eyes were still the same as they were in her nightmares; Black with red pupils, and were bleeding black blood from them. She looked right in her direction, then gave a large, toothy smile, revealing her razor-sharp teeth. Sally went wide-eyed with panic, her breaths becoming shallow once again.

"Sally?" She snapped out of her hallucination at the sound of Tails' voice. "Sally, are you absolutely sure you're alright?" He asked. "I…" Sally began, but didn't know what to tell him. She then said, "… I'm going to go take a bath." She then walked out of the throne room, leaving Tails alone. Tails watched her as she left. He then glanced behind himself, looking in the same direction she was looking in after she had trailed-off.

No one was there…

Tails was now sure that there was definatly wrong with Sally.

Meanwhile, Sally made her way to her royal bathroom, which had a very luxurious bathtub in it, which was shaped like a huge scallop shell. She undressed herself, making sure to hang her clothes on the rack by the door. After setting her crown on the sink counter, she then took off her corset, setting her belly and breathing free. However, it was then that she noticed that she was getting a little pudgy (Upon seeing this, she made a personal mental note to lay off the sweets for a bit.). She then turned on the bathwater, pouring in with it a bottle of bubblebath fluid and some therepudic bath salts. Once the tub was filled, she got in and sat down, letting the warm water and the bubbles wash away her troubles. She then layed back a little, taking in a deep breath. She started to feel really relaxed, like she could just melt into the bathtub and become a liquid.

Suddenly, she felt something swimming in the tub with her, which was completely impossible, as she would've already known if something was in the tub with her. She opened her eyes, looking down into the bubble-covered bathwater, trying to find what was swimming in the tub with her. Suddenly, the thing that she was looking for had found her, as a giant snake had surfaced from the water. Sally looked at it, horrified. She then watched in horror as it spat up a brown goo all over her body, covering her from the neck down in it. Once it was finished, it then slithered back underneath the water. The goo then hardened into a thick, rubber-like material with the pattern and texture of snakeskin. Sally struggled to try and get out of her snakeskin cocoon, but to no avail. Suddenly, she felt the cocoon start to tighten, as if it was squeezing her to death. She struggled harder, but found that doing so made the cocoon squeeze her faster. She was already starting to feel the effects of asphixiation. Her face was turning blue as she struggled to draw breath. Her eyes started to roll into the back of her head as she started to sink into the water. As she went under, she saw then other her again, grinning evily. The other her then lowered her head down to her level, then said;

"Sally? Sally, snap out of it!"

/

_Reality…_

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ 

Sally quickly snapped out of her horrific hallucination, gasping for breath, as she had been completely submerged underneath the bathwater. She coughed a little, then glanced to her savior. Her eyes went wide with shock.

"Silver?"

_To be continued…_

_(1) Studies Observations Group (S.O.G.)_


	24. Chapter 19: the future that never was

_Author's note/Update: Okay, so I've come up with an idea for what I'll do when Evil Never Dies reaches 1,000+ views, so keep it up, readers! Once the goal has been reached, I'll do a one-shot in honor of the 22nd anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog!_

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapter also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters**

**Reader descretion is advised**

**Chapter Nineteen: The future that never was**

"So, why are you even here, Silver?" Asked Sally, who now wore a silvery blue silk bathrobe, "And what's more, why are you the exact same age you were when we first met?" Silver rubbed the back of his head. "Well, Sally, truth is…" He explained, "Well, first off, what's almost an hour for me could be 25 years for you. I'm still eighteen in my timeline… Which is what brings me to why I'm here." He looked down for a moment. Sally and Tails both listened intently. Silver took a deep breath, then explained. "It all started when I returned to my future after I helped you guys 25 years ago…"

_/_

_New Knothole_

_Mobius_

_33 years in the future…_

_/_

_Silver materialized with a thud onto the ground. He opened his eyes, taking in his surrounds, and found it to be quite shocking._

_He had arrived in his future in a grassy meadow, filled with tall grass, sunflowers and daffodills. He looked up, seeing nothing but blue skies and warm sunlight. "I… I'm home…" He said. A smile slowly spread across his face. He then leapt for joy, yelling "__**I DID IT**__! __**I'M FINALLY HOME**__! __**YES**__! __**YES**__!" he then ran through the meadow until he reached a tall hill that overlooked a small, peaceful, semi-urban village that lay surrounding a small castle. He went wide-eyed with amazement. "My home…" He said, "New Knothole… It's different than it was in the other future." He then grinned. "But you know what?" He said to himself, "I'm okay with that!" He then ran towards it, running towards a certain townhome in the soutwest side of town. An echidna boy stood in the side yard, chopping firewood._

_This echidna was slightly a hybrid, as he had reddish-pink colored fur, but had patches of green scales here and there. His spine dreadlocks were done in a dreads ponytail behind his head, which lay underneath a brown outback hat that once belonged to his grandfather. His eyes were a bright blue, and his scale patches had the toughness of leather. He wore a Hawaiien print shirt coupled with a pair of baggy, light blue jeans with dirt and grass stains here and there. Silver, recognizing him, immediately ran towards him. "Farid! Hey, Farid!" Farid put down his hatchet and glanced towards his friend. "Silver?" He asked, "What are you-OOF!" Silver gallomped him in a warm, embracing hug. He then let go of him. "Farid," The silver-colored hedgehog said, joy in his voice, "I did it!" Farid raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Did what, exactly?" He asked. "Are you kidding?!" Silver responded, "Look around! What do you see?" Farid looked around, and then replied, absolute apathy in his voice, "I see my yard, where I'm supposed to be doing my chores." "But doesn't it seem different?" Silver asked, "Think about it. Think __real__ hard. Think to… Maybe a dream you had last night. Does all this seem any different to the dream?" Farid thought back to his dream the night before, then having a look of realization overtake his face. "Wait a sec…" he said, "Last night, I dreamt that all this was like… I dunno, something out of Fallout: Mobius. But then, when I was about to be killed by some robot monster or whateve… I woke up. I woke up in my bed. I woke up, sitting up in my bed, facing my Melody Acorn poster, holy shit, you really __did__ save Mobius by traveling to the past!" "I know, right?!" Silver responded boisterously. "C'mon!" Said Farid, "We gotta go tell Jessica!" Silver's eyes went as wide as dinner plates. "J-Jessica?" It had been a long time since he'd seen his longtime childhood love. Another smile spread across his face. "Yeah, let's go!" The two then ran off towards another part of town, where a double-decker townhouse lay on top of a Chao Nursery. They walked up the steps to the deck on top of the roof of the left side of the nursery, then approached the door. Silver then rang the doorbell, slightly nervous. Within minutes, the door opened, and there, Silver saw his longtime lover._

_She was a hedgehog, her fur was mint green in color, and her hair was a bright cerulean, with bright teal spines poking out the back in long, sharp points. Her eyes were rose colored, and she had hair was styled down past her shoulders, but with a ponytail in the middle held with a pink band. She wore a bright purple leotard, coupled with a short, knee-length red skirt, long, white stockings, pastel yellow shoes, and had a necklace with a red gem shard attached to it. "Jessica?" Said Silver. Jessica looked at him, then said, "Silver?" He then embraced her in a warm hug. "I thought I'd never see you again…" He said, tears coming to his eyes. Jessica looked to him in confusion. "You saw me in school yesterday." She said, "Remember?" Silver then let go of her. "Not in this timeline, no." He said, "Jess, I traveled back in time and __made__ this timeline exist by changing the past! Sure, it took me a few tries to get it just right, but I did it! I saved Mobius!" Jessica thought for a moment, then her eyes went wide with realization. "My dream…" She said. Farid looked at her. "You had it too?" He asked. She nodded. "That means…" Said Silver, "That some of us retained our memories from the other timeline that __used__ to be when we transferred to __this__ timeline!" He grinned even wider. "We gotta go tell Zeke!" He exclaimed. "Mr. Thorndyke?" Farid asked, "The former billionaire?" Silver nodded. "He's the guy who sent me back!" The three then ran off towards a building located somewhere towards the edge of town. It was a small flat-roofed building, with a living quarters located on top of it, a metal stairway leading up to it, with a bunch of deck furniture placed on the deck on the rooftop. Silver knocked on the door to the lower building. he waited about five minutes, then watched as the inhabitant of the building answered the door._

_He was a human, about 56 years in age, but still looked slightly young. His hair was medium length, and jet black with grey spots on the sides, green eyes, light skin, and wore a black AC/DC shirt underneath a white dress shirt that was unbuttoned all the way along with a pair of dark blue jeans and black sneakers. "Zeke…" Said Silver, "I did it!" Zeke looked at Silver with astonishment, then said, "Dude, I knew you could do it!" Silver laughed a little, humbling himself. "Well, it only took a few tries, but yeah." He said. "Oh, Silver, I meant to tell you the minute you got here," Said Zeke, "I want to show you something I found recently." He then motioned for the group to come inside. They all did so, entering their friend's lab._

_Zeke's lab looked similar to that of Professor Oak's lab in Pokemon; similar-looking machines, except they all bore the Thorndyke Industries logo. On a table nearby was a gun-looking device that could completely heal all injuries, there was a high-tech armor suit that was designed to look like Sonic standing in a a chamber alcove in a the far corner of the room, and in the other far corner of the room lay a platform surrounded by tall poles with electrode attached to the tips of them, coupled with a control panel to it's side. This machine, was the very same time machine that sent Silver back all those years ago._

_Zeke then directed their attention to a black box covered in dirt on a nearby desk that consisted of a large plywood board on top of small drawers and ciderblocks. "What is it?" Silver asked. "I dunno." Zeke replied, shaking his head, "But apparently in __this__ new timeline, I dug it up out in the forest about a day ago. I wanted to wait until you were here to open it." Silver then approached the box cautiously, then undid the latch on it, then flipped it open._

_In it, resting in a velvet stand, lay a dark, black gem, similar in looks to a Chaos emerald. Silver eyed it. It looked beautiful, but it also looked… Wrong. He felt rushes of strange feelings…_

_Bloodlust…_

_Hate…_

_Anger…_

_Greed…_

_He then closed the box over it, forgetting to latch it closed again, then turned to Zeke and said, "Zeke, I think you should get rid of this thing." Zeke looked at Silver, puzzled. "Why?" He asked. "Because I think this gem is embodied with evil itself." Silver answered, "When I looked at it, I felt all kinds of evil emotions emanating from it, as well as some kind of power… Evil power." He glanced at the box, then said, "That's why you have to get rid of it. We can't let it fall into the wrong hands." "Speaking of which, I would appreciate it if you would hand it over to me." The group turned towards the front door._

_A tall, overlander man stood, wearing a long brown cloak, coupled with a gas mask, hiding his identity. He held a Glock 23 handgun with a chrome slide, carbon fiber grip and an extended 22 round magazine._

"_Who the hell are you?" Zeke asked. "That doesn't matter, human." The masked man snarled, "Just hand over the gem quietly, and no one gets hurt." He then pointed the gun at Silver. "You! Hedgehog!" He barked, "Hand over the box." Silver looked to his friends, then at the masked man, then gulped. Obediantly, he then picked up the box and handed it to the masked man. Once the box was in his hand, he then walked over to the time machine. Silver watched this, fear rushing through him like a chilly wind. "N-NO!" He yelled. The man then pressed a few buttons on the control panel, turning on the device. "Hey, hold on a second!" Zeke yelled, "You don't even know how-" He stopped mid-sentence when the man pointed the gun at him. "Okay, nevermind!" Said Zeke, "I'm sure you know what you're doing." Silver looked to Farid and Jessica, who both nodded in unison with him. Farid then charged the man, catching him off guard and tackling him. The gem then went flying out of the box, which Jessica caught in her hands. "I-I got it!" She yelled, holding up the gem, "It's okay, I… i…" Suddenly, Jessica's expression changed to a hypnotic one. She looked at the gem, hungrily.  
_

_It was now hers..._

_All hers…_

_All it's power…_

_All it's beauty…_

_All it's… Emotions…_

_Just then, The masked man smacked Farid in the face with the handle of his pistol, knocking hima side and leaving a bloody gash on his forehead. "Farid!" Silver yelled. Just then, a portal opened up on the platform of the time machine. The masked man looked to Jessica. "You! Hedgehog!" He yelled at her, "Hand me the gem." "Jessica!" Silver yelled, "Run! Take the gem where no one can find it!" Jessica looked to both Silver and the masked man, then at the gem. Suddenly, her eyes turned black with crimson red pupils, and started bleeding black blood from them. "No…" She said, apatheticly in a demonic-sounding tone. She then ran into the portal, disappearing into whenever. The masked man then ran in after her. Silver looked to his friends. "Go…" Said Zeke, "Stop them. stop them both. However, once you go through, I don't think you'll be able to come back this time." He then smiled a slight reassuring smile. "Don't worry, though!" He told him, "If you get sent about 33 years ago, I should still be my past, 23-year-old genius, billionaire, playboy, philantrophist self that I was back then. Plus, my old buddies Rotor, Kobar, and Tails should all be alive and well, plus, y'know, my number one computerized maintence program assistant Nicole should be there as well, so all of us combined in theory could build you a time machine to send you back to the future!" Silver then looked to Farid. "Don't worry, I'll be fine!" Said Farid, "I've had worse from some of the fights I got in at school! Just go!" Silver then turned to the portal, took a deep breath, then ran into it. At first, he felt a slight tingling sensation, followed by sharp, stabbing pains all over his body. He watched as his molocules started disassembling themselves, his whole body coming apart like Legos. He screamed in pain, which started becoming distorted as he disassembled._

_/_

'_The Valley'_

_Mobotropolis, _

_June 18__th__, 3365_

_4:23 AM_

_Hours before the events of Crimson Tuesday…_

_/_

_Silver painfully rematerialized in a back alley behind a Seven Eleven, panting heavily after he had finished rematerializing, He vomited on the ground, then looked up at his surroundings. _

_He was in Mobotropolis once more._

_He stood up, wiping the vomit from his mouth. He then started walking towards the end of the alley, until he was hit by a tazer. He crumpled to the ground, twitching from the electricity coursing through his body. Parylized, he looked up at his assailent._

_She was a female mobian, but was wearing a night-black skintight bodysuit with a skintight hood over her head. The last thing he saw before he lost conciousness was her eyes… they looked so familiar…_

_He then blacked out…_

_Silver woke up, probably hours later on a bed in a cheap motel room. He tried to move his hands, but they were handcuffed to the back posts of the bed he lay one. He then tried to use his telekinesis to remove the handcuffs, but when he tried to focus his power, he felt a sharp, painful headache that felt as though someone was driving a rail spike through his head. he then looked on his chest and saw a strange device placed on it. It was flat and shaped like a hexagon, with a bright red light on top of it. there was a sticky note attached to it, that read:_

'_Don't bother using your powers. This is a Chaos Energy Synapse Scrambler.'_

"_Fuck…" he muttered. He then saw a tv in front of the bed turn on. The screen showed an emblem depicting a Pheonix, rising in a blaze of crimson fire. after that, a voice came from the tv, distorted by a voice changer._

"_Silver the hedgehog…" It said, "you're probably wondering why you're here. The answer is simpler than you think. You're here so that you're out of the way. If you look to your left, you should see a remote control by your left hand. Pick it up, use it to turn on the television to your left, and press the play button for the built-in VCR."_

_Silver obeyed, picking up the remote, and turning on the smaller tv plugged into an outlet underneath the small table in the left corner of the room. he pressed the play button for the VCR, making a video cassete slide into it. the screen turned on, revealing a horrific sight._

_There was a dark, forest green-furred creature, with sharp claws instead of hands, talons instead of feet, razor sharp fangs, long, pointy ears, and long, sharp prickles going from the back of it's head down it's back. And the eyes… They were black with red pupils. However, they held not hatred, nor anger in them, but instead, fear and sadness. He then saw the creature's lips move, and could make out the words it was saying…_

"_Silver…"_

"_Please…"_

"_Kill me…"_

"… _Jessica…" He said. He then glared at the TV screen in front of him. "You sick bastard!" he yelled!_

"_There is indeed nothing you can do for her." The voice continued, "She is currently being used to develop a chemical weapon that we will use in our conquest of planet Mobius." Suddenly, Silver heard explosions and gunfire coming from outside. "As you can most likely already see," the voice went on, "Mobotropolis is being attacked by an old foe. This foe, however, is __not__ us. It is actaully an amateur compared to us. We… Are the Pheonix Empire. And we… Will ascend from the ashes…" just then, the door to the hotel room opened, and the bodysuit-clad mobian walked in, walking towards Silver. She looked at him for a moment, then removed the skintight hood. Silver went wide-eyedw ith fear when he saw the mobian's identity._

_It was Blaze…_

… _Except she had a transfixed look on her face, almost like she had been hypnotized. She then undid Silver's handcuffs, and then turned off the synapse scrambler. Before Silver could do anything else, though, Blaze pulled out a syringe filled with a clear liquid then jabbed it into Silver's neck, injecting it into his bloodstream. After she finished injecting it into him, he then felt dizzy. He felt like the room was spinning. "Buh… Blaze…" He said, trying to speak. He then Saw Blaze pulled out a Five seven pistol, and pull back on the slide of it. He watched as she pointed at the side of her head. Silver's eyes went wide with horror. Tears then streamed from Blaze's eyes. She then whispered…_

"… _Ascension..."_

_She then pulled the trigger, splattering her brains all over the left wall. She then crumpled onto Silver's chest. Tears gushed from Silver's eyes. "__**NOOOOOO**__!" He yelled. He then started to succumb to the unknown drug, feeling his motor skills decline rapidly, his vision becoming too blurry to even see, his body becoming heavy as a bag of bricks._

_He then blacked out…_

"… when I woke up, I was being examined by Paramedics, looking for survivors of the attack. Then they found Blaze… And…" Silver sniffled as tears fell from his eyes. "Those bastards…" He said, "They… They murdered her… They murdered her right in front of me…" Silver closed his eyes as tears gushed from them. "I was powerless! I couldn't save either of them! It was like all that I did to change the future… _My_ future… Was all for nothing…" He then started sobbing. Sally walked up to him and hugged him, soothing him. "It's okay, Silver…" She said, "You tried. That's all that matters; that you tried your best." "**BUT IT WASN'T ENOUGH**!" Silver screamed, "I still couldn't save either of them… the ones I cared about the most…" Sally then looked him in the eyes. "You helped save me." She said, "25 years ago. You helped provide Sonic and the others with the knowledge they needed to help me, and they did. In fact, you've actually helped save us on more than one occasion!" Silver looked back at her. He wiped some tears from his eyes, than continued to look at her.

Suddenly, a thought came into his head… No… It was a memory… A memory from the future that almost was…

_Silver walked through the forest, hand in hand With Sally, who was about sixty years old. By this point, Silver was four and a half, and looked downright adorable. He ran over to where a sparrow was perched on a branch. He then whistled, imitating it's call. It then flew over to him and perched on his finger. He then ran over to Sally, and…._

Silver couldn't make out some of the words in the memory, but he did hear one word uttered from Sally…

"Sweetie…"

_To be continued…_


	25. Chapter 20: Executive Order

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapter also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters**

**Reader descretion is advised**

**Chapter Twenty: Executive Order**

_The Pentagon, New Arlington,_

_Fifteen miles outside of Station Square_

_United Northern Territories_

_3:23 AM_

_/_

"The Pentagon?" Rouge asked in disbelief, "Why are we even going there?" Chirs Thorndyke, now 38 and a full-fledged Navy Seal Commander, sat beside her in the helicopter. Across from him was his friend and also a high-ranked agent in the ISA branch of G.U.N.

He was human, about 36 in age, had light skin, hazel eyes hidden underneath gold-rimmed aviator shades, short, black hair that was parted in the middle, and wore a white button-up dress shirt, tan khakis, black shoes, and had a CZ75 pistol in a holster he wore on his belt. "I can't tell you." Said the shade-wearing agent. "Why not?" Rouge pressed on. "'Cause ol' Lucas here doesn't have clearence for it." Chris answered for him with a playful grin. "Thank you, Chris." Said Lucas, not impressed by his longtime childhood friend's layed-back attitude, "But yes, Rouge, I don't have clearence to tell you." "Agent Redfield," The pilot called to Lucas, "We're here." Lucas nodded to him, then glanced back to Rouge. Once the helicopter had finished landing, the group all undid their seatbelts. Lucas then opened the passenger door to the helicopter, then glanced to Rouge and said, "Welcome to the Pentagon." The group got out of the helicopter, walking across the parking lot that was wet from the rainstorm the night before. They then made their way over to a limo motorcade, which was parked near the entrance to the parking lot. "There's our ride." Said Lucas.

The limo itself was _**THE**_ Presidential limo itself! Used by the very same president now in office in the UNT.

"Holy shit, we get to ride in the president's limo?!" Said Chris, "It's like Christmas!" The back passenger door to the limo opened, and the group all filed inside. They were greeted by a very political-looking human, and a G.U.N. general.

The political-looking human was male, about 56 in age or so, had short grey hair, light skin with little wrinkles, green eyes, and wore a dark blue suit with a red tie. "Secretary Nelson." Lucas greeted. Chris and Rouge both nodded in greeting. The limo then started up, the sirens of the police motorcycles outside wailing as the motorcade made it's way down the highway towards the Pentagon. Secretary Nelson handed Chris a manilla folder, labeled 'Classified' He opened it up, and saw a picture of Bio Robotnik, in all his 'more threatening-looking of a villain' glory. "He's a ruthless, cold-blooded killer," The Secretary said, "He once took control of an entire kingdom, and enslaved almost the entire mobian race. I believe you two have met a few times before." Chris' facial expression became stern as he thought back to his younger days, back when he was a kid, fighting alongside the Freedom Fighters, as well as the first real friend he ever had, Sonic. "Yeah, we met…" He said, "I once helped wreck this machine that he was going to use to take control of a village of Echidnas." He then smirked when he remembered another certain detail of that particular encounter. "I remember shooting a water gun filled with urine in his face in an effort to escape his grasp. Should've seen his face when I told him I just sprayed piss all over him. He was angry as fuck! And then there was another time where I helped Sally and Tails free a village of mermobians from his evil grasp, but that's completely different story-" "Which, you can tell us about later, Commander Thorndyke." Secretary Nelson interjected, trying to stay on topic. Rouge took a look at the photo next. From the moment she boarded the plane to Station Square, to now, she had felt very strange. Like she was supposed to be doing this.

Like she was already on a mission…

Once the motorcade reached the front entrance of the Pentagon, the group walked through the front door, entering the lobby. Secretary Nelson walked up to the front desk, then flashed a badge of some kind and said, "VIP." The guard at the desk nodded, then picked up a phone then said, "VIP." Into it. They then went through the security checkin, and when the metal detector buzzed from detecting Lucas' pistol, he flashed his ISA badge, saying he had clearence to carry it. The group made their way through the halls and offices of the pentagon, stopping only once in a certain hallway to admire the paintings and pictures of past heroes, then went down a special elevator. When the doors opened, they were in this huge control room. After a brief explanation of how the world had been saved many times from this certain room, they then made their way to a meeting room in the very back of the area. When they entered, they all sat around the table. "Mr. President?" Said Secretary Nelson.

The current president of the UNT, Harris Colton, was very John F. Kennedy-like in appearance, except his hair was shorter. He also souded a little like him in voicetone, too.

"Agent Bat." President Colton greeted formally, "Gentlemen." "It's a great honor, sir." Said Chris, standing up for a moment. "Sit." Said Colton, motioning for him to take his seat.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Rouge started having a headache, a really bad one at that. Plus…

She started hearing numbers…

But she knew she had to look professional right now, so she kept it to herself, gritting her teeth a few times from the headache.

Colton took his seat in front of them. "We are now at war with one of Mobius' oldest and most evilest foes." He said, "One that we had thought to be long dead. Dr. Ivo Robotnik…"

Suddenly, Rouge felt the room spin, then saw a strange hallucination of her picking up a pistol and pointing it at President Colton. Her eyes went wide with shock…

Then she snapped back to reality, and redirected her attention back to President Colton.

"… Everything we cherish…" He continued, "Our lives, our freedom, our very way of life, is at risk. We hear that you three are the best we have, anywhere…" He looked them in the eyes. "… You will need to be. Gentlemen, Ms. Bat. Take care of it."

_/_

_Sampson's Pub_

_Station Square_

_Later that day…_

_/_

"A S.O.G. team! Can you believe it?!" Said Chris excitedly, "We're gonna part of a S.O.G. team!" "Yeah, way to say it in front of the whole bar, Chris." Said Lucas, sarcastically. Rouge looked down at her drink, a mix of Vodka and Scotch, which she hadn't even touched since the moment she ordered it. She stared at it, blankly. She started breathing heavily.

"Rouge? Rouge, you alright?"

She jerked her gaze to Lucas, slightly startled by him speaking to her just now. "I-I'm fine, I just…" She began, "I just haven't been in any real action since Crimson  
Tuesday."

She was lying, of course. In fact, although she did a pretty good job of hiding it so far, she'd felt this exact same way since a certain mission in Berlin went awry, and she ended up being captured. Her memory of what exactly had been done to her during her captivity was foggy, but she remembered a few things…

Being stripped naked then forced into transparent pink latex clothes…

Being forced to have sex with complete strangers, some not even her species…

Then she remembers a bright light being shone in her face as she was strapped to a table…

The numbers…

And…

An emblem of a Pheonix…

_To be continued…_

_Author's note: Yes, I realize there's quite a number of Black Ops references in this fic, especially the fucking numbers, but nonetheless, in this chapter, I think we learned that maybe, just maybe, Robotnik wasn't the only one using Sleeper Cells… Or is he? Yeah, no, I'm not gonna spoil anything, so keep guessing._


	26. Chapter 21: Control

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapter also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters**

**Reader descretion is advised**

**Chapter Twenty-One: Control**

_Matoba Manor_

_Mobotropolis_

_10:15 PM_

_/_

It had been a long day.

Sherrock had just gotten home from city hall, having gone from meeting to meeting all day. He'd heard from city council about the potholes over in the soutwest highways that had to be fixed, among other things. But now, he was home.

Just him.

His daughter, Vicky, was staying the night at Lancer's. Although he didn't particularly care for that boy, he seemed to be nice enough. Rain pounded outside, and thunder crackled, while lightning flashed. He had only just hung up his coat when noticed that he wasn't the only one in his home that night. Cautiously, he went towards the vase that lay in the living room, and reached behind it…

… Only to find that the gun he had stashed there was missing.

"Looking for this?" A voice cooed into his ear seductively. He jumped and turned to his right.

Lynn was standing there, wearing a long, black, PVC trenchcoat, twirling a Makarov pistol around one of her fingers as if it wear a toy. She then stopped, then held the pistol in front of her, eyeing it like a curious cat. "Makarov nine millimeter…" She said, "The classic firearm that has long been the staple of the Russian military, and had been adopted by the WOA sometime ago. A relic, now, replaced by a bunch of other models that probably don't shoot as well as this one. Commendable…" She then threw it aside, "… But too sentimental for my tastes." Sherrock glared at the hybrid for a moment, but then, a slight smile spread across his face. "So, let me guess…" He said, "You're here because Robotnik wants to re-recruit me, am I right?" Lynn chuckled. "You're quite perceptive. Originally, yes, but I realized you'd say no." "Well, that goes without saying." Sherrock retorted cooly, "Especially considering the chain of events that followed his previous defeat. I'm not the same person I was 25 years ago anymore. I have morals now." Lynn looked at him, comtemplatively, then said, "Morals…" She took a long sigh, then continued. "No doubt the same ones you learned from that little tree-seed girl and her spazzoid husband." "Now, listen here," Sherrock interrupted, "Let's get one thing straight; Sally is-" "It's rude, to interrupt a lady when she's speaking!" Lynn snapped. Sherrock was slightly startled by her sudden change in tone. Lynn then recomposed herself. "Anyways, the morals you learned," She finished, "The same ones, yes?" Sherrock nodded. Lynn chuckled. "Well, if that's the case…" She hissed, "Then I suppose you're as blind as I thought you were." Sherrock raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean 'blind'?" He asked. Lynn smiled seductively. She then threw off her trenchcoat, revealing a black rubber spaghetti corset, a black leather miniskirt, and a skimpy bra made of red pearl beads. She then pinned Sherrock against the wall behind him. "You humans(1) are… Very much alike…" She cooed, "Whenever you encounter something you don't understand, you attack or prejeduce against it. You're all so quick to judge something that you don't take a chance to learn more about it. Mobians are also somewhat similar to you. That's what some of the more 'decent' of you people have tried to prove, that you all aren't so different from one another." She licked Sherrock's face suggestively, making him wince in disgust. "Oh-kaaayy, look, sweetheart," He said, batting her tongue aside, "Despite the fact that I used to work for a mad dictator who enslaved nearly the entire mobian race, I'm the kind of guy who would be into this sort of-Mmhhh!" He was cut off by Lynn inserting her long, reptilian tongue into his mouth in a passionate, yet one-sided kiss. He then pushed her head away. "Gross! Stop it! Seriously!" Lynn scowled at him. "Hmph! You humans and your beliefs on beastiality." Her seductive expression returned. "But I digress. You know so much, yet understand so little. You fail to see the bigger picture here. Robotnik wasn't trying to 'take over' Mobius…" Lynn looked Sherrock dead in the eye when she finished sentence. "He was trying to _save_ it." Sherrock looked at her like she had just denied the term 'Saip'(2) was a racial slur against humans. "The hell do you mean by that?" He asked. Lynn chuckled. "Allow me to tell you the story of how I came to be Robotnik's 'protégé'…" Lynn cleared her throat.

"'I was born to a Lizaldian(3) father and a Mobian mother. My father, a man by the name of Scales Draconus, was formarly the king of his own dominion until he was thrown into exile for marrying my mother, a Muthalandic Mobian mink by the name of Anya Dragunov. They moved to a smaller Lizaldian swamp village, where my mother gave birth to me. Tragically, my mother died in childbirth, and I was left with my father. I grew up under the belief that I was a regular member of my own kind, but still couldn't quite understand why a lot of the other children weren't allowed to play with me. Then, one fateful day, when I was but fifteen, my father told me the truth. That wasn't a purebred Lizaldian, but instead a hybrid. A mutt.

"'My father taught me how to wield and manipulate the dark arts; sorcery, witchcraft, technomagic, however, I never really saw eye-to-eye with him. by the time I had turned seventeen, I ran away, trying to find my place in the world, trying to fine a place where I would belong. But alas, the world is cruel and unforgiving place, which anyone could tell you. I found my way to a city known as Edgewater; a terrible, polluted, scum-ridden city. To make ends meet, I became a harlot. A common whore. I had intamacy with complete stranger for money, sometimes with people who weren't even the same species as me, including humans. And at the end of the day, I counted my rings, and licked whatever wounds I had sustained that day.

"'Then… I met him. He told me he had heard of me, and what I was capable of, and said I was wasting my talents. He then took me aside, fed me, then offered me what _all_ men, Mobian, Human, Echidna, or what have you, strive for… Power…'" She said the last word of that sentence with a hiss. "So what's your point?" Sherrock asked. "My point, is that there was method to his madness…" Lynn responded, "By using the robotcizer, Robotnik was able to create a 'controlled' Mobius, one where no one killed or judged anyone because they were different, a 'perfect' world where everyone lived in a controlled environment, free of hate or prejuduce." "That's bullshit, and you know it." Said Sherrock with a scowl, "What about all those people he had killed? The ones who opposed him? The Freedom Fighters? Were _they_ the ones who were 'wrong'?" "They were necissary sacrifices. Variables, even. They needed to be eliminated. But, you would know that… After all…" Lynn leaned in closer to Sherrock's ear, then whispered, "… You killed many of them yourself under his orders…" Sherrock then pushed Lynn away, knocking her into an end table behind her, then picked up his makarov that she threw aside, then shot her in the head! Sherrock panted, exasperated. Suddenly, he heard laughter.

Lynn's laughter.

He watched in horror as Lynn stood back up, the gunshot wound going through her skull healing up instantly. "Like I said before…" Lynn cooed, licking up some of the blood that dribbled down her face, "… All alike." She then picked her trenchcoat back up and put it back on. Then, she walked over to the front door and opened it. before she left, she said, as if to leave Sherrock with something, "Since you won't join us, I can at least tell what we're going to do…" She then grinned evily. "… On the Wednesday of next week, we will show Mobius that none can stand our might… Not even the mighty, freedom-driven humans of UNT." She then walked out the door, walking off to parts unknown. Sherrock watched her for a moment, then closed the door, locking it. He then leaned against it, falling to his knees as he did so. He thought back to the atrocities he commited as the head general of the Eggman Empire, looking at his pistol.

His tool of destruction…

He threw it aside, growling in frustration. "Damn you, Robotnik…" He muttered.

/

_Lucky Frog Motel_

_West Mobotropolis_

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Lynn made her way over to a certain room at the motel, knocking on the door three times. She was met by a guard wearing a black turtleneck coupled with urban camoflage pants and sunglasses, armed with a Super Shorty shotgun. "I'm here to discuss further orders." She told him. The guard nodded, then opened the door all the way, allowing Lynn to enter. Inside, there was another guard wearing the same attire as the other, armed with a Steyr TMP, standing next to an armchair in right corner of the room. In that armchair sat the mysterious crimson-haired man. "Were you followed?" The man asked. Lynn shook her head. "They'd be fools to do so." She replied. The mand smirked slightly. "I suppose you're right." He said. Lynn laid on the bed on her stomach, looking at the man dreamily. "So, then…" The man continued, "Is everything ready on your end?" "But of course, sir…" She cooed, "Our sleeper agents have been spread all across the continent, posted in places that the powers that be wouldn't even think to look." The man then stood up, walking over to the window, gazing out towards the storm blowing outside. "So we're right on schedule, then?" He asked. "Yes." Lynn answered.

"Does Robotnik suspect anything?"

"Not a thing."

"I see…"

There was a flash of lightning outside. One of the guards lit a cigarette in his mouth. The crimson haired man then said, "Then it's settled. Soon, the time of our ascension will come, and all of Mobius will know who it's _true_ inheritors are." He pulled up his right sleeve, revealing a tattoo of a pheonix. "'Ascension!'" He shouted in Overlandic, raising his hand upwards towards the ceiling. The two guards did the same, revealing their marks and shouting the same chant. Lynn lifted her hand up as well, revealing a pheonix tattoo on her hand as well.

"'Ascension'" she said, prenouncing the word with a reptile-like hiss.

/

_Prower residence_

_223 S. Bowie Rd_

_That same moment…_

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Tails and Mina lay side by side in their bed, taken by peacful slumber. Suddenly, Melody ran into the room, looking very distressed. "Mommy, daddy!" She yelled. Tails and Mina woke up. "What is it, sweetie?" Mina asked groggily. "Something's wrong with Skye!" Melody excalimed. Tails looked to her in tired confusion. "Wuh?" He asked with a yawn. "I woke when he started screaming. I ran to his room, but when I got there, he was in his bathroom. At first, I thought he needed to pee, but then I saw him bleeding, and-" "Wait, BLEEDING?!" Mina exclaimed, waking up instantly. Melody nodded. Mina and Tails both ran to Skye's bathroom.

Skye sat on the floor of his bathroom, shivering and pale with fright. Sure enough, the palm of his left hand was bleeding, a nasty-looking cut running across it. Tails knelt beside him, getting bandages out of the medicine cabinet. "Skye, what happened?" He asked, bandaging his hand, "Did you have a nightmare?"

Skye said nothing.

"How'd you cut your hand?"

Skye remained silent.

"I can't help you unless-"

"Oh my god…" Said Mina.

Tails looked over to his wife, who was standing facing one of the walls of Skye's room, her face contorted with fright. "What is it?" Asked Tails, walking over to where he was. His eyes then went wide with horror when he saw what Mina was looking at.

There, written in blood, was the word 'Ascension' in big, bold letters.

Tails glanced back at Skye.

Skye looked at him, then said, comepletly devoid of emotion "'Ascension.'"

_To be continued…_

_(1)In my translation of Mobius, Overlander is basically like a race of humans, such as African, English, American, Russian, etc. which is why Lynn refers to Sherrock as a human, even though he is overlander._

_(2)The whole 'Saip' thing is a reference to a fanfic written by my friend Ironwolf935 known as 'Sonic Noir' you should check it out, I find it very engrossing._

_(3)The Lizaldians are a sort of OC race I created for Mobius. They are a race of anthromorphic dinosuars and other reptiles that are similar in height to humans. Some are born with immortality, while others are born with capacity to learn various forms of magic. They also consider themselve superior to the rest of the races on mobius, Mobians, Echidnas, Humans, etc. which is why Lynn's father was exiled for marrying a Mobian. They also look down upon Hybrids, as they are considered 'scum' to them. I could write a whole two paragraphs on them, but I'd rather not. At least, not in the author's footnotes._


	27. Chapter 22: The next generation

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapter also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters**

**Reader descretion is advised.**

**Chapter Twenty-two: The next generation**

_Tommy Turtle Memorial hospital_

_Mobotropolis_

_The very next day…_

/

"So, yer sayin' ah'm good enough to leave?" Bunnie asked Dr. Balto, who was now in his late forties. Balto nodded. "Indeed. If you can stand, you can leave, but…" He thought for a moment, then said, "Mr. and Mrs. De'coollette, come with me. I want to show you something." He then led Bunnie and Antoine down a hall to a door that read 'Private' next to it was a keycode locking mechanism. Balto entered the word 'Samantha' into the keypad. There was a click, then Balto opened the door and led the two inside.

It was a somewhat dark room, but was filled with various types of machines and lab equipment. He then directed them to a large stasis pod in the back of the room. Bunnie went wide-eyed with awe. "Is…" She stammered, "Is that…" Balto nodded.

There, floating in the clear, blue stasis fluid was a real, live mobian left arm, exactly just like the one Bunnie had when she was entirely mobian. "Dr. Quack, my mentor," Balto explained, "Started growing it sometime after Eggman's defeat 25 years ago. He even trained me how to do reattachment surgeries. It's a shame that wouldn't live long enough to perform it himself, but then, it's almost like he knew all along when he first started training me." "So…" Said Bunnie, "Yer sayin…" "I'm saying that make you mobian again, Bunnie." Balto replied with a slight smile, "Well, for the most part, anyway. Plus, the way procedure is done, it shouldn't harm the special little guy that's developing inside you." Bunnie blushed at this. Antoine looked at Balto with confusion. "'Special little guy?'" He asked, "Whatever do you mean by-"

It was then, That Antoine finally figured it out, thereby ensuring that he was now following along.

"Mon deau!" Antoine exclaimed, "Bunnie! You're… _**PREGNANT**_?!"

Bunnie smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, Ah reckon so…" She answered. "Why didn't you tell me?" Antoine questioned. "Ah was gonna… but…" Bunnie explained, "But Ah kept getting cold feet. Then the battle happened, and now all this mess. Ah'm sorry, 'Twan." The two then hugged. "Ah promise to try an be more honest with ya." She said. "And I promise to, how you say…." Antoine paused for a moment, then finally said, "You know, I swear I had something for zis."

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_Acorn Royal Guard Training grounds_

_That very same moment…_

/

Lara-Su, Argyle, David, Rutan, Vicky and Lancer all stood near a fence, waiting for whoever told them to gather here to arrive. "So, why are we here again?" Argyle asked. David shrugged. "Hell if I know." He answered. Vicky looked at a video that had recently been posted on Mobiutube. "Guys, look at this." She said, showing them.

It was a video that had been recorded during the events of Crimson Tuesday. In it, everyone could see Vicky, running around, completely topless, firing the AN-94 rifle she stole off the soldier she inadvertantly killed that day, all the while shouting "I am the mockingjay, motherfuckers! **WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHH**!"

The video was titled: "Stupid blonde bitch firing off a rifle like a jackass"

And apparently, it was one of the most watched videos on Mobiutube, right up there with Keyboard Chao, Nyan Sonic, and A video of a monkey peeing.

"Oh yeah, I forgot that happened." Said Lara-Su, "Has your dad-" "Yeah, probably." Vicky replied halfheartedly, "Hard to say for sure, though, cause when I got home this morning, he was crouched behind the couch, wearing an old army helmet and cradling a hunting rifle, looking like he'd seen a ghost." "Ehhh, it's probably just his anxiety of his upcoming re-election campaign." Said Argyle dissmissively, "Thought, I'd only imagine that video of you shooting up enemy soldiers, claiming to be the rebel hero from Hunger games would gain him more voters."

Vicky raised an eyebrow. "Why?" She asked.

"A badass, fighting girl daughter, capping a bunch of mercs with an assault rifle like fucking Scarface; He'd be a shoe-in!"

Just then, a number of cars pulled up next to the fence. One, was a family-sized SUV, another was a Prias, the third was an old Volkswagon Camper with a graffiti-style custom paint job, and the fourth and final one was a military Humvee sporting a woodland camoflage paintjob.

Out of the SUV came Tails, who was driving it. soonafter, the passenger doors opened, allowing Skye, Trey, Lita, and a very miserable-looking Manik to get out. "alright, kids, be careful today." Said Tails, "Don't overexert yourselves, just take it slow." Trey and Skye nodded. "Right." They both said in unison. Lita took off her earbuds and followed the two over to the others. Sonia, getting out of the front passenger's seat, walked over to the others as well. Manik, however, just looked down at the ground, shuffling his feet. Tails knelt beside him and said, "Just do your best. It's what your father would've wanted for you." Manik looked to him for a moment, then nodded, and joined the others.

Out of the Prius' driver's side door came a slightly irritated-looking Rouge, who instead of wearing her signiture heart-chest skintight catsuit, wore a white formal blouse and a grey skirt, coupled with stockings and high-heels. She opened the left side passenger door, saying all the while, "I'm still _very_ upset at you for getting kicked out of that boarding school I payed over 100 rings a month to keep you in!" Out of the door came a young mobian whom it was safe to say was Rouge's son.

He was a sixteen-year-old Mobian bat with bright, purple-colored fur, a green blue yellow eyes, short, purple hair that was spiked up with hair gel, a slightly longer tail that looked like it was bent at a 90-degree angle, and a big old fang poking out of his mouth from under his lower lip. He wore a tanktop whose design was modeled after the national flag of Austrailia, a gold chain necklace with a medallion shaped like the letter 'M' that had rhinestone studs all over it, ghaudy-looking orange and grey camoflage cargo pants, white and red Air Sonic designer sneakers, and white fingerless gloves.

"But mum!" He pleaded, his Austrailian accent flaring, "That whole mess at the school wasn't entirely me fault! They're a bunch o' bloody pikers, they are-" "I don't want to hear it, Melbourne!" Rouge barked. Out of the side passenger door came Bean, who was wearing Rouge's aformentioned signiture bodysuit, coupled with the boots and gloves (Strangely, he even managed to poke his tail feathers out of the tail hole on the butt of it.) "I _still_ can't believe I can fit into this outfit of yours, Rouge!" Said Bean, rubbing the skintight vinyl material, "I mean, it's like we have the same body type and everything!" "Shut up, Bean." Said Rouge. Just then, 'In the shadows of the night' by Pat Benetar started playing on the music player inside the Prius, then Bean walked over to where Rouge was standing, and said, "Lemme ask you something…" He then leaned against the hood of the car, tilting his butt upwards in Rouge's direction, then glancing at her seductively and asking, "Do I make you horny?"

At this point, Rouge felt like she was going to have an aneurism from how irritated she was right now. She took a few calming, deep breaths, then said, "Just get your damn stuff out of the trunk." Bean then got up, and walked over to the trunk of the Prius, and got out a few black duffel bags, as well as an olive drab Army Cache chest. He shut the door fo the trunk, and Rouge said, "Please, _please_ try to behave today, okay?" "Yes, _mom_." Bean answered, mockingly.

Then, out of the Camper van came Cream, Riley and Amy. Cream then walked over to the driver's side window, which rolled down to reveal the face of a chocolate-brown fur-colored rabbit girl with lime green-dyed hair that was styled in a spiked-up devil's do, bright blue lipstick, and had earrings all over her ears. "See you at home, Coco!" Cream told her. Coco smiled, then said, "Sure thing, cream puff." The two then exchanged a passionate open-tongue kiss.

After each party said their 'see you laters' the drivers of the first three vehicles got back in their cars and drove off. It was then, that the Humvee pulled up to the second car's spot. The driver's side door opened, and out came Commander Clash, who was wearing his old G.U.N. Marine uniform that he wore in Vietnam, coupled with an officers wide-brimmed hat and a pair of silver-rimmed aviator shades.

David looked at his grandfather and groaned. "Oh jesus, here we go…" He muttered under his breath.

Clash then walked over to the group of teenagers, then scoffed. The other freedom fighters, plus two, walked over beside him. Clash then cleared his throat, then said, in a very drill sergeant-sounding tone, "Listen up, kids! My name is Commander Erik Mason Connor, but the name everyone refers to me by, as well as the name you sorry-ass looking little pieces of dogshit will refer to me by from now until the day you die is Commander Clash. And additionally, whenever you speak to me, the first and last words out of your mouthes had better be 'sir' Do you maggots understand?"

The group of teens remained silent, unimpressed by Clash's 'Full Metal Jacket' routine.

David sighed, then said, "Granddad, just talk to us normally. We've all seen that movie."

Clash sighed angrily, then said, "Alright, fine then." He then threw off the officer's hat, took off his sunglasses, then tied his signiture red bandana around his head, then said, "Alright, kids. As you all are probably already aware, there is a bit of a possible conflict brewing, and since Sonic's dead, we need a new set of heroes. A group of skilled, agile, couragous individuals ready to lay their lives down on the line to protect those they care about most. We need a trump card, a hail mary, we need…" he then unbuttoned the shirt of his fatigues, revealing a tanktop bearing the emblem of the original Freedom Fighters, "… Freedom Fighters."

The group of teens looked in awe. Clash then continued, "When you finish your training, you will no longer be just a bunch of dumb kids with their smartphones and their Xboxs, no. You will be a group of brave, daring heroes, those who willing to do… What others cannot."

He paused for a moment, most likely for dramatic effect, then said, "Alright, let's begin…"

_To be continued…_

_Author's note: yes, I know I ended at an inopportune moment on this chapter, it's just that kinda ran out of ideas for stuff to go on at the end of the chapter, plus I got a test I gotta take soon at the time I was writing this, so sorry 'bout that._


	28. Chapter 23: Outcasts

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapter also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters**

**Reader descretion is advised**

**Chapter Twenty-three: Outcasts**

_Lucky Frog Motel_

_5:12 AM_

_Earlier that day…_

/

The early morning sunrise spread it's yellowish light through the window of the motel room. Lynn lay in the bed next to the crimson haired man she loved so much, resting her snout against his chest. The two were awake now, woken only by the feel of each other's bodies; The man's warmth against Lynn's cold scales. "Good morning, darling." She cooed. The man looked at her, smiling a warm, loving smile. "Good morning." He responded. "Darling…" Said Lynn, "I've always wanted to know… With your looks, you could have _any_ woman you desired, yet you choose me over any human woman. Why is that? Do you not worry about being called out for Beastiality? Or do you perhaps prefer the forbidden fruits in this garden we call life?" The man looked at her, then said, "I prefer you…" He began, sitting up on the side of the bed as he did so, "… Because you know my pain. You too know what it's like to go your whole life, believing you belong, but then suddenly having that innocence taken away when you learn the truth of what you really are. You know what it's like to be an outcast… A freak." He smiled slightly, then continued, "And also, it's not beastiality when the more 'humanlike' partner isn't entirely human himself." Lynn sat up, tilting her head in confusion. "You mean you're not human?" She asked. The man turned his gaze down, sighed, then replied, "Not a real one, anyway. Not one who was concieved and born to real mother, and raised and given love like one. No…"

He looked at his left wrist. There was a faint birthmark on it that looked like a serial number…

R17.

"I was born in a lab." He continued, "Cocieved by the seed of an unknown stranger, nurtured in a stasis pod until I was given over to a man, a man whom I would call father until I knew of my true origins, of my _real_ father…" Lynn leaned over behind him, caressing him. "That's why you're doing all this, isn't it?" She asked, "Vengeance for everything they put you through?" The man thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No. Not just that." He touched Lynn's hands with one of his own. "Vengeance is only part of it. The other reason… Is so they know my name. The name I had been given by my surrogate father, the name that was registered into the databanks when I became a citizen of the West Overlands, the name I've gone by for my entire life…" He looked into her eyes. "… The name I gave you when we first met." He leaned in and whispered it to her.

"… Rapheal, Raul Richtofen…"

Lynn smiled seductively at him, then whispered back, "How I love hearing your name…" The two then locked lips in a long, passionate kiss.

Then, Lynn's communicator rang, thus destroying the moment in utter ruination.

Lynn pulled away and looked to the device, which she had left on the dresser in front of the bed. "It's your 'other' master, I take it?" said Rapheal. Lynn looked to him, slight embarassment in her eyes. Rapheal smirked. "Well, then, you should answer it, my lovely little double agent." Lynn smiled, then ran over to the dresser, still very much naked. She picked it up, then answered. "Yes sir?" She talked into it, seeing Bio Robotnik on the screen. "Lynn, where are you?" He asked, "Has Sherrock taken my offer?" Lynn shook her head. "No sir," She began, "He didn't. instead he-" "Why are you naked?" Lynn went wide-eyed with embarassment, using her free hand to cover up her scale-covered mammalian breasts. "I-I'm…" She explained, "I stayed the night with a friend. It was raining too hard to even think of walking anywhere, plus with me being cold-blooded by nature, I could've-" "I don't care about all that," Robotnik interrupted, losing his patience only a tad, "All I care about is making sure which of my past followers are with me or against me." There was a short pause, then he said, "Make sure you're back by tomorrow afternoon. And cover up those freakish breasts of yours." He then hung up. Lynn sighed sadly, knowing what Rapheal said about them both being outcasts to be true. "I heard every word of it." Said Rapheal suddenly. "He doesn't respect you like I do, does he?" Lynn looked to him, then shook her head. "He treats me like the common street whore I was when he found me. When _you_ found me. Sometimes I wonder if I even _am_ second in command of his legion." Rapheal took her hand in his, looking into her eyes. "I saw more in you that day…" He said, "More in you than he saw when he saw you three days before. I saw someone who knew suffering, who knew hatred, who knew how it felt to be treated differently than everyone else." The two stood there for about a minute, gazing into each other's eyes. Then, Lynn walked over to the dresser and got out her change of clothes out; A set of silk underwear, the same black rubber spaghetti corset she wore the night before, a pair of transparent grey latex leggings with a gap for her reptilian tail to poke through, a deep red leather sleeveless top, and of course, her black PVC trenchcoat. After she and Rapheal finished getting dressed, Lynn then walked out the door, where two guards were waiting outside the door. As she walked down the stairway from the balcony where their room was, she turned back once, looking back to him, not knowing when the next time they be able to meet like this was. She then turned back and continued one her way.

Rapheal sat on the bed, his shirt not yet buttoned up, deep in thought. He then picked up his suitcase, which lay at the foot of his bed, and opened it. He got out his pistol, a Glock 23 with a chrome slide and carbon fiber grip, inserted the 22 round clip, and pulled on the slide, chambering a round. He layed it on the bed next to him, then got out a picture of a black gem. _I still need to find that…_ he thought, _It's the only thing I still require for my plan. Once I find the Pandora's emerald, the ascension can begin. Then… Mobius will belong to us._

_To be continued…_

_Author's note: Please don't hate me for this chapter!_


	29. Chapter 24: Promises and Revelations

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapters also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters**

**Reader descretion is advised**

**Chapter twenty-four: Promises and revelations**

_Acorn Castle_

_Four days after the events of chapter 22 and 23…_

_/_

Sally stood in the entrance chamber of the castle, alongside Tails, Clash, and Zephyr, whom she had recently made her personal body guard because of his heroics during the events of Crimson Tuesday, awaiting the arrival of her brother, Elias. It had been almost years since she had seen him, and when she heard that he would be coming over for a bit, she quickly became excited.

Today, since it was a special occasion, she had decided to wear a bright gold silk (She liked silk fabric a lot, which is why a lot of her dresses and gowns are made of it. she claims that she liked how it feels.) gown, with various gems adorning the collar and the hem of the long, flowing skirt, a silk, boned corset imported from Britannia, white silk elbow-length opera gloves, a beautiful, elaborate necklace adorned with rubies and emeralds, a pair of gold-colored high-heeled slippers, and a set of pearl earrings. Every so often, she would brush off her skirt, as if there was a speck of dust on it. Zephyr put a hand on her shoulder and asked, "Nervous?" Sally looked to him and nodded. "A little." She answered, "I haven't seen him since my Father died. I honestly wonder how he's been doing since then…" She then smiled, "But it's okay, because I get to see him again!" _At least you __have__ a family to look forward to seeing…_ Zephyr thought to himself as she said this. He thought back to memories of his _own_ family…

The warm embrace of his mother and father on those cold, winter nights…

The plates of grilled cheese sandwiches, fresh off the skillet…

The blaring of emergency alert sirens…

His father giving him a hug one last time before going to his hometown's nuclear power plant…

Hiding in the fallout bunker with his mother…

Coming out, and seeing a mushroom cloud where the power plant once stood off in the distance…

Moving to the city…

Then…

Waking up in the middle of the night to a gunshot…

Creeping into the living room to see his mother on the floor…

Being smacked in the face with a pistol…

And looming shadow, smirking a toothy grin and saying…

"'_Wanna dance with the devil, kid?_'"

He snapped back to reality as the bugle-players played a ceremonial tune as the doors to the castle opened to reveal Elias entering. Sally immediately ran to her older brother and galomped him in a warm, embracing hug. "I've missed you so much, Elias!" She squeeled. Elias, taken aback for a moment, then returned the gesture. "I missed you too, Sally." He said. Sally then let go. "I heard all about what happened," Elias continued, "About the attack, about your encounter with Bio Robotnik, and also about Sonic." He gave a sorrowful sigh. "I'm truly sorry for your loss. I trust the funeral went well." Sally's expression quickly went glum before she answered. "We held it at the royal chapel," She explained, "Then we had the burial at Knothole village. We figured since his life started there, it would only be fitting that it ended there." "How are the children handling it?" Elias asked.

Sally looked away before continuing. "Sonia…" She began, "Has only recently stopped crying, and has actually been more better behaved, although, she still hangs out with that degenerate friend of hers, Vicky. Manik, however…" A single tear formed in her left eye. "Manik hasn't been handing Sonic's death very well. He takes every opportunity he can to avoid talking to me or even just interacting with me, He spends less time here at the castle and more time with his friends, and when he _is_ home, he shuts himself up in his room and just stays there all day until dinner. Whenever I try to go up there and talk to him, he locks the door and just yells something like 'go away,' or 'I hate you,' It's like he thinks _I'm_ to blame for his father's death!" Sally sniffled, feeling tears coming on. "But he _does_ cry. I often hear him crying in his room whenever I pass by, and I feel so bad for him. Sonic meant the world to him, so much so he practically idolized him, and now that he's gone, it's like…" Elias put a hand on Sally's shoulder, comforting her. "You're trying your best." He told her, "That's all that matters." Sally looked to him and smiled a little. "Now then, on to business…" Elias said, walking over to Tails and Clash, "Commander, are certain there is no one else?" Clash nodded. "Manik and Sonia are both too young." He answered, "You're the only one left who can do it." Sally looked to them. "Do what?" She asked. "I see." Said Elias, ignoring her. "So me and Sally are both all that's left of the old House of Acorn, aren't we?" "Yeah." Tails answered, "Since your mother passed about five years ago, you and Sally are all that's left." "I'm right here, you know." Sally said, raising her voice in an effort to get their attention. "It's been quite some time since I last wore the crown…" Said Elias, "I feel as though-" "**STOP IGNORING ME**!" Sally suddenly screamed, feeling a flash of white-hot anger grow inside her. The group turned to her, giving her a solemn look. "Sally…" Said Elias, "Would you mind going somewhere else for a bit? This is a bit of a private discussion that I need to have with Commander Connor and Tails, and it's very important." "B-but I'm the Queen!" Sally said, her anger rising, "If it's a matter that concerns _my_ kingdom, then-" "Then we will tell you when it's all settled." Elias interrupted her, showing a twinge of irritation in his tone, "But for now, it's private. So please, if you would." "Why?" Sally continued, her voice raising a pitch, "Why is it private? Are you all keeping secrets from me? Stuff you don't want dear old Sally knowing about? Huh? Is there some kind of big secret that you're all keeping and everyone's in on it? **IS THERE**?!" "**SALLY**, **THAT'S ENOUGH**!" Sally flinched a little after hearing her own older brother yell at her like that. Seeing this, elias then said, "I'm sorry I yelled, it's just that I know you probably have enough stress put on you, what with the loss of Sonic and this whole 'Bio Robotnik' affair, so I don't want you to be too stressed out." He then looked to Zephyr. "Sergeant Zephyr," He said, "Would you be so kind as to accompany Sally out of the room or something of that sort?" Zephyr thought for a moment, then replied, "Yes sir." Zephyr then approached Sally, then said, "C'mon, your majesty. How about I take you out for lunch? Would that sound okay?" Sally looked to him, then to her brother, then back to him, then replied softly, "… Sure, I guess…" The two then walked out of the room then out of the castle towards the city. The others, however then went into the royal study to continue their conversation. "So, Tails," Said Elias, "About the report showed me. Is it true?" Tails nodded. "Sally's mental health appears to be declining since Sonic's death." he explained, "In fact, often times, I've heard her in another room, weeping, or arguing with someone, whenever I'm with her, sometimes her gaze will turn or follow something that when I try to see what it is, isn't there, she hasn't been sleeping well or sometimes even at all, she sometimes has random outbursts, and then there was that incident on the Genocide…" Elias nodded then turned to Clash. "Is this true, Commander?" He asked. Clash thought for a moment, as if he was hesitant to answer, but then nodded and replied, "Yeah. It's true. But, if worse comes to worse, are we _really_ gonna-" "We'll have to, Commander." Elias interrupted, "If it does come to a point where Sally becomes 'mentally unfit to rule' we may have to have her abdicate. Plus, we can't be too quick to rule out the possibility that she might revert and become Mecha Sally once more… Or perhaps something even more sinister…" Tails gulped. Clash bit his lip. "Now then…" Elias continued, "What's our situation regarding Bio Robotnik?"

/

_Zeke's private penthouse suite_

_Thorndyke Tower_

_Central Mobotropolis_

_That same moment…_

/

"So, hold up…" Said Zeke, who was about 23 years old at present, looked about the same, except much younger, and wore a black AC/DC t-shirt coupled with black jeans and sneakers, "You're telling _me_, that not only have we met years in the future, but I also built you a time machine? _And_ helped send you to the past to save your future?" Silver nodded. "I know it's hard to believe," He began, "But it's the truth, and now I need your help in building one for me to return to the future in once I stop-" "So, basically, in the future, I invent time travel?!" "Yes," Silver answered again, getting a little annoyed, "You do. Not only that, but it was your invention that helped save Mobius and change it for the better." Zeke took a moment to let this sink in, then said, "I need a drink…" He then walked over to the mini bar in the left corner of the living room, pouring a small glass of scotch. "Look, Zeke," Said Silver, turning in his seat to face him, "You're my only hope of ever getting back once I finish my mission. You, plus maybe Rotor, Kobar and Tails-" "Kobar's dead, FYI." Said Zeke suddenly. Silver looked shocked. "Wait, what?" He said, wondering if it was a result of traveling back. "But… In the future, you said he was alive and well in this time period!" "Well, that's just it." Zeke responded, taking a sip of his drink, "I was talking to him on the phone last night, then the next day, I learn that he's been dead for over a year. Freaky, right?" Silver thought for a moment, then went wide-eyed with horrific realization. "They're trying to stop me." He said. Zeke raised an eyebrow at him. "Who is?" He asked, "You wouldn't happen to be mixed up in something bad, would you? Cause if you are, I want absolutely _no_ part in it whatsoever, regardless of whether or not I invent time travel." "But that's just it!" Silver interjected, "They want me out of the way so that I can't stop them from taking over Mobius!" "You mean Bio Robotnik?" Asked Zeke, "Cause that's who everyone's been talking about lately, and-" "No… It's someone else…" Silver squirmed in his seat uneasily. "They called themselves the 'Pheonix Empire' and they said something about 'Ascending from the ashes' or other, and then… they… They murdered Blaze…" "Who?" asked Zeke. "A friend of mine…" Silver answered. "She was… A very close friend." Just then, the door to the express elevator that led from the lobby to Zeke's penthouse opened, allowing a very distressed Rotor to come in. "Zeke," He said, looking a little worried about something, "Is it okay if I crash with you for a bit?" "Huh? Why?" Asked Zeke, taking another sip of his drink. "I think someone wants me dead." Upon hearing this, Zeke spat his drink out in a dazzling spray of liquor. "**WHAT**?!" Rotor nodded. "When I came home today, I found a note of some kind on my front door." He pulled out a piece of folded up paper and unfolded it. Silver's eyes went wide with horror when he saw what was on it.

It was an outline of a pheonix drawn in crimson red marker.

Zeke looked to Silver, and upon seeing his face, he placed his drink down on the counter, then said, "I'll get Nicole to beef up the security systems in the building, meantime, get settled, y'know, find a place where you know you'll be able to sleep, doesn't matter where, just so long as you're comfortable. And you…" He pointed to Silver, "… Should probably leave if you believe you're putting us in danger by just being around us." Silver nodded, even though he hadn't even considered that until Zeke mentioned it. he then used Chaos control to teleport out of the penthouse, but midway through, he had a splitting headache, and ended up reappearing in the middle of Locke Park. He fell to his knees, wheezing for breath as his head felt like a rail spike was being driven through it with a sledeghammer. Suddenly, another 'memory' went through his mind…

_It was nightime in new knothole. Silver and Jessica, both of whom were barely teenagers yet, sat on a huge hill overlooking the town. They were laughing and giggling, appearing to be having fun. "So, Silver…" Said Jessica, "You promise we'll always be friends?" Silver nodded with a smile, "Of course we will!" He chirped, "It's a promise I intend to keep for the rest of my life!"_

Silver snapped back to reality, panting. He then vomited on the ground, emptying his stomach of the light lunch he had earlier. "The… The fffuck is this?" He whimpered, "Why am I remembering stuff that I… Never…" "You're adapting to the new timeline." Silver looked up and saw Charlie standing over him. Charlie smiled smugly, then said, "Lookin' a little worse for the wear, eh kiddo?" Silver went wide-eyed with shock.

"… Father?"

_To be continued…_


	30. Chapter 25: Inner Madness

_Author's note: This chapter is going to one of the first in this fic to feature multiple first-person POVs. Don't worry, though, the main POV in the fic will usually be third-person like it's always been, I just wanted to experiment a little bit. Also, I apologize for not updating in a while, it's just that the new Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 DLC pack came out recently, plus I've had work on Mondays, plus, y'know, I got the new Animal Crossing game last Thursday and have been having a lot of fun with that, so yeah, sorry. Also also, there is going to be yet another reference to my friend Ironwolf935's fic: Sonic Noir in the form of a movie that is featured in one scene._

_Again, sorry about the lack of updates._

_Okay, I'm done with this shit._

_Enjoy the chapter._

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapters also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters.**

**Reader descretion is advised.**

**Chapter Twenty-five: Inner madness**

_Dawson's Grill_

_Riverside District_

_Northwest Mobotropolis_

_A few minutes after the events of chapter 24…_

_Zephyr's POV:_

_/_

Never once in my life would I ever believe I'd ever be this uncomfortable in dating a woman.

Well, this instance is actually justifiable, because the woman I'm 'dating' happens to be Queen Sally Acorn, who only recently lost her husband, and _still_ appears to be having trouble moving on.

Of course, being the generally nice guy that I am, I took it upon myself to try and comfort her this past week and a half. However, feeling good about doing so seems to be so troublesome seeing as most of the time, or at least as of late, it's because I was ordered to do so, because Sally's ever-developing psychosis requires someone to monitor her at all times and make sure she doesn't hurt herself or anyone who happens to be around her.

In a nutshell; I feel less like I'm dating her and more like I'm babysitting her.

And yet, here we sit at my favorite bar and grill, having lunch. I, of course, ordered a plate of nachos, because I wasn't all that hungry, but Sally goes orders the biggest cheeseburger on the menu. I'm somewhat convinced that this is her way of 'dealing with her loss' and that she's one of those girls who uses 'Comfort food' as a means to drown out depression. The minute it gets placed in front of her, she starts gobbling it up, and Jesus, Mary and Joeseph be damned, the first bite is a fucking huge one, like it was made by a T-Rex rather than a 'normal' Mobian being. Halfway through her burger, I then made a bold move.

"Uh, Sal?" I said. She paused to listen. "You should probably slow down or you're gonna choke."

She then gave me a look as if I'd just called her fat, and, in hindsight, I'm pretty sure I just did. She then put down the half-eaten burger, looking down and sulking.

Smooth move, Zeph, you fucking putz.

"Sorry, Zephyr…" She apologized, "I just…" She sighed. "… I just can't get over him being gone."

Yeah, no shit. I don't think anyone else has either, to be honest.

"Well, You're just going to have to try. Sonic would've wanted you to move on, to find love once again, not to sulk about him being gone all the time."

She looked back at me, looking right into my eyes.

All the years I've known her, never once had I realized how beautiful her eyes were. They reminded me of my mother, who had the same color eyes as her; bright, beautiful blue.

So, we finish our meal, pay for it, then we try to figure out what to do next, until she get's the idea of going to my apartment, yeah, my _real_home as opposed to my dorm in the barracks. Luckily, since I took post as her bodyguard, she has let me stay at my apartment instead of my cramped dorm.

I can't believe I'm doing this…

Upon entry of my apartment, I then realized I probably should have cleaned up a little bit, or rather, redecorated a little…

My living room consisted of a mauve leather couch, a flat-screen TV mounted on top of a homemade entertainment center consisting of cinderblocks, plywood and milk cartons, a DVD/BluRay/VHS hybrid player, a Playstation 14, a Nintega WiiU Neptune, dozens and dozens of assorted movies, video games and memories that were made into videorecordings, a computer desk that had a gaming computer that I had customized to be able to run old Windows DOS games (Which was a bit of a hobby of mine.), a kitchen, which was basically a fridge, a stove, some counters, a sink, a dishwasher and a microwave. There were only two other rooms, and those were my bedroom, which had a full-sized bed, a dresser, a small bedside table that looked like I had bought it on a budget, and an ihome that acted as a stereo system of some sort, and the bathroom. Various posters lined the walls of my place, each bearing themes, such as my poster of Mina Mongoose that I had since I was in high school, or that dumb-assed 'Adventures in Dino City' movie poster I got from a flea market three or four years ago. However, it seemed as though she was okay with all this, because I would only assume she was peeking into the home of one of her own royal guards, thus proving that even _they_ have their own lives and interests.

"Make yourself comfortable." I say. She immediately goes over to my computer setup and sees the jewelcase to 'Darkseed' that I left on the desk that morning. "'Darkseed?'" She said, clueless, "I don't think I've ever heard of this game before." "That's cause it's an old Windows DOS game." I explain, walking up beside her, "They actually kind of antiques, because they were orginally made during the 1990's back during the days when the humans dominated Mobius. It's one of those old 'point and click' games, sorta like Myst, or King's Quest, and…" I stop when I look at her expression.

I was boring her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to ramble," I told her, apologizing, "It's just whenever someone asks if I have any hobbies, this what I tell them it is: collecting and playing old computer games." "No, it's okay." She tells me, "It actually sounds interesting. How do you play it?" I then pop the disk into the computer, then sit down on the chair in front of the desk, then start it up, bringing up the game menu, and immediately delving into where I had left off. I showed her the basics of the game, and she seemed to enjoy it, too.

That is, until she saw the alien larva crawl out of the main protagonist's throat in a bloody mess.

We stopped playing it after that.

This was going to be a long day…

/

_Sally's POV…_

/

I honestly had no idea that Zephyr was into old, archaic computer games, nor had I ever realized how horrifically violent some of these games were. Not to be racist, but the humans must've had sick minds when they came up with some of these games back then; There was one where when you shot people they exploded in a bloody mess. At least there were some that were tame, such as SimCity, King's Quest V and Spyfox: dry cereal (I will admit, Spyfox is actually my favorite, cause whenever I see the protagonist, Spyfox, I can't help but think of Tails if he had one tail and wore a white tux, and made James Bond One-liners every other sentence).

Well, it was about 5:40 now, and Me and Zephyr had decided to watch a movie after our dinner of Tombstone frozen pizzas and Hawaiien Punch. I looked through some of them, then immediately saw one that caught my eye. It was called: 'Abracadavre' and one of the main characters in it was played by Jake (During his early twenties, he went through a short 'actor' phase. He was good, too, would've made it big if he hadn't taken his father's post as Commander of the guard.). I pulled it off the shelf and showed it to Zephyr.

Zephyre looked at me funny when I did.

"'Abracadavre?'" He asked. I nodded. "My friend Jake is in it! You know, Commander Prower?" "Oh, shit, that's right!" He said, slightly amazed, "I forgot he was an actor for a while. But Sally… This is a horror movie. It's one of the most goriest horror movies ever made in our time. Are you sure you can-" "Zephyr," I told him, my voice raising without me realizing it, "I have seen things scarier than any movie out there, okay, I've seen people die right in front of me, I've been shot at, dropped off many a high distance, nearly killed by a giant robotic spider, nearly roasted alive during a volcanic eruption, crushed to death by a giant snake, and, I might add, survived being roboticized. I think I can handle a violent and gratuitous horror movie."

Zephyr looked at me like I was rabid and foaming at the mouth.

"… Well, okay. If you really believe you can handle it."

_If_ I can handle it?

What am I, twelve?

_The movie starts out at a prison, where a serial killer/rapist named 'Trenton the ravager', who was a very evil-looking human, and seemed to remind me of another evil human I knew in my life once before, being brought to his execution. As he's strapped to the electric chair, a mobian porcupine girl looks at him through the glass. She has carrot-orange prickles, yellowish-orange fur, green eyes, and wore a pastel yellow dress and mauve shoes. A guard walks up next to her and says, "Hey, don't worry. He can't hurt ya anymore where he's goin'." The girl nods nervosuly and turns her gaze back to her past tormentor. The man then mouthes the phrase 'You know you loved it.' shortly after, the switch is pulled, ending the madman's life_

I feel as though I've seen something like this happen before.

About ten more minutes into the movie, we see the scene where Jake's character, a booksmart professor at the Mobotropolis University by the name of Remey Paxton, who apparently majors in 'demonology' and things like that, makes his first appearance. Apparently, the main character, the aforementioned porcupine whose name was 'Caroline' has been having a relationship with him for some time. His smarts are called upon by a Police Detective named Finn Deluca, who is apparently the younger brother of the aforementioned felon, Trenton, when a string of murders all involving torture and some kind of satanic ritual, leave the police stumped.

_Remey examines the body of the latest victim at the crime scene, taking care not to tamper with it on accident. It was once mobian, possibly a cat of some kind, but it had been burnt beyond recognition. He then turned to the wall next to the bed on which the barbequed mobian lay, on which there was words written in latin with blood. He pulled out a pocket-sized tome of some kind and started deciphering it. "What does it say, Professor?" Asked Detective Deluca, watching him skeptically. Remey cleared his throat and read;_

"'_Three souls have already been claimed. Three more will be reaped soon. The rise of the king of blood will soon be upon us. Hail Abracadvre.'"_

_Upon reading this, Remey went wide-eyed with horror. "What does it mean?" Deluca asked. "It means, detective…" Remey turned to him, looking stern, "That we're dealing with something not of this world. A monster that steals the souls of the innocent, and corrupts that of even the most delicate and demure of men or mobians." He sighed, then said, "Let me know if you find anything else. I'm going to perform my own investigation, if I may, Detective." Deluca nodded. "You do what you need to do," He said, "I'll do what I do. We're catch this sick fuck if it's the last thing I do." Remey walked past him, but before he passed, he said, "… If I'm right, it may not be that simple, detective."_

_20 more minutes in…_

I'm starting to see why Zephyr wouldn't want me watching this. This movie is horrifiying me. We got to a part where Caroline and Remey are in the catacombs of an old abandoned castle outside of town. In the scenes leading up to this one, Caroline has started hearing voices and having nightmares of doing things… Very evil things.

Basically, she thinks she might be the murderer, but she's kept it to herself up until now, when they're faced with a fierce creature that was once a mobian, but had been transformed by the aformentioned deity.

"_GET BACK!" Remey yelled, pointing an old spear he found in the catacombs at the creature, driving it back like a lion tamer. The creature snarled at him, seeing him as less of a threat and more as prey. It then batted the spear out of Remey's hands and smacked him in the left arm with it's claws, leaving a nasty-looking claw mark on it. "REMEY!" Screamed Caroline. Remey sat up on his knees, holding his wound with his right hand, trying to stop the bleeding. He took in deep, shallow breaths. The creature crept up to him slowly, about to finish the job, when suddenly, Caroline blocked him, her eyes turning an evil amber color with a draconic narrow slit pupils. She snarled at the creature, making it back off and run away. Remey looked to Caroline, relieved, but horrified. "Ca-Caroli-" That was all he was able to get out before Caroline pinned him to the floor, her new claws digging into his flesh, as if to squeeze it out of his arms like tubes of toothpaste. A long, proboscus-like tongue slid out of Caroline's mouth, and then forced it's way down Remey's throat in a forced kiss. Remey gagged as the long mouthpart swam through his innards like an eel. His cheeks then grew big, and Caroline pulled out as he spat up a mouthful of blood in Caroline's face. Remey looked up at her, not seeing a longtime lover, but instead a murderous monster. "Ca…. Car… Caroline…" He treid to speak, but felt incredibly dizzy. Caroline then got off of him. Remey pulled himself to his knee again. "Wuh… What did you… Do to. Meee..." Remey managed to get out. He himself then underwent a trnasformation. His fur started to fall off and get replaced by dull, brown scales, his hands turning into claws, huge claws bursting out of his shoes, making his feet seem more lizard-like than fox-like, his fluffy tail converting into a long, serpentine one, large, bat-like wings growing out of his back, his teeth turning into sharp fangs, and his eyes turning a dull grey and gaining reptilian narrow slit pupils, and his hair becoming dull, matted and black. Caroline reverted back into her old self, then looked up at her fiance, tears in her eyes as she said, "I'm sorry Remey… But it was the only way I could be rid of him." Suddenly after she said this, the now-transfixed Remey grabbed her and bent her over. Caroline screamed, trying to free herself of his grasp, but to no avail. She was then helplessly raped by the creature that had once been her love, causing…_

It was then, that I realized I couldn't take it.

I ran to the bathroom and threw up in the toilet, painting the inside of it with the pepperoni and sausage frozen pizza I had earlier. However, I didn't see it as that all of a sudden. Instead, what I saw was that I was vomiting very thick black goo, which wouldn't stop coming out of my mouth no matter what I tried. I was getting it everywhere, the tiled floor, the shower curtains, but mostly on myself. It stuck to my fur and hair like bubblegum, and was really super sticky. I soon found myself pasted to the floor in it, my entire body coated in the thick black muk. I tried to scream for help, but my mouth was stuck shut by the sticky black ooze. I then watched through my peripherals as the entire room, floor, walls, everything, was coated in the ooze as well. The door literally melted off the wall, and I was trapped in this muk-filled prison. I felt the floor melt into nothingness underneath me, then started to sink into it. Desperately, I tried to stay afloat, flapping my arms around madly in an attempt to tread water in the black muk. I finally was able to free my mouth, but only for a second as I shouted "**HELP**!" It was then closed once more when sank into the goo again, my hands and everything on my head from the nose up were the only parts of me that portruded from the sea of black ooze. Helplessly, I then watched as something rose from the muk. At first, it was like a huge mass of black muk, but then it gained form; arms, a head, what looked like spines on the back of it's head, gruesome, glazed-over eyes. It was when I looked into the eyes of the creature that I realized who it was.

Sonic…

The zombified Sonic then lowered it's deformed, decayed body to my level, looking into my eyes with it's glazed-over ones. A long, zombie-like moan escaped it's lips. It then brought a decrepit hand to my face, caressing my left cheek like he would whenever I was sad.

"… Llllletttt…. Gooooo…." It moaned.

What?

"Let… go…." It repeated.

'Let go?'

Of what?

The room of muk suddenly started to fade from my vision…

/

_Zephyr's POV…_

/

Shit, this was bad… This was really, really bad!

I held Sally down as she convulsed violently, foam coming from her mouth, her eyes locked in a frightened, trance-like state.

Whatever she was seeing, it had to be absolutely terrifying.

Fuck me…

Why'd she have to have a fucking panic attack in my bathroom tonight?

I probably shouldn'tve let her cook her pizza in the microwave.

She then stopped convulsing, and her body fell limp. Her eyes remained open in that horrified gaze.

Seeing this, I put my ear to her chest.

No heartbeat.

Oh, shit.

I was now scared. I couldn't let her die. Not now. I threw open the cabinet under the sink and got out a first aid kit. I dug through the kit until I found a syringe labeled 'Adrenaline' I yanked off the needle sheath with my teeth, then plunged the needle into her heart…

/

_Sally's POV_

/

I woke up with a long, huge gasp, my lungs filling up with air once again. I looked to my left and saw Zephyr, looking relieved.

The first words out of my mouth were, of course…

"Wuh… What happened?"

"Halfway through the ending, you ran into the bathroom and started puking." Zephyr explained, "At first, I thought it was just the movie making you nausious, but then I heard you scream 'help' but when I got there, you were seizing and convulsing. And at one point… Your heart stopped." My eyes went wide with horror. "My… Heart… Stopped?" I stammered out. Zephyr nodded. "You almost died. Sally…" He took my hand in his own. "I'm worried about you. I'm worried you're going to get hurt someday, or… Even hurt someone else…"

There was something about Zephyr that suddenly just seemed so…

Familiar…

I pulled the used needle out of my chest, threw it aside, then looked at him.

I wanted to say something. I wanted to tell him that I felt…

Instead, I said, "Zephyr… Would you mind taking me home?"

He nodded.

That was all that mattered to me.

_To be continued…_


	31. Chapter 26: Secrets and Lies

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapters also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters.**

**Reader descretion is advised.**

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Secrets and lies**

_Freedom Fighter Break room_

_Acorn Castle_

_The next day…_

_/_

"A response team?" Cream asked. Clash nodded. "In light of recent events," he continued, "I have decided to enact 'The Freedom Fighter protocol.'" "'Freedom Fighter Protocol?'" Said Rouge, lighting a cigarette, "What is this? 'The Avengers?'" "If it is," Said Riley, "Then I call Hawkeye!" "No, Riley," Said Amy, "You could _never_ be Hawkeye if you tried. If anything, you're that one S.H.I.E.L.D. agent that Loki kills. If anything, Antoine here is Hawkeye!" She then smacked Antoine on the back, causing him to nearly spill his drink. He muttered something in french after that. "So, If 'Twan's Hawkeye…" Said Riley, "And Amy's Thor, 'cause she uses a hammer as a weapon, and like, Rouge is pretty much a shoe-in for Black Widow, and Clash is most likely best Nick Fury… then… I guess Cream is Iron Man, er, _Iron Woman_, I should say, or maybe she'd be Elektra since she's a ninja-" "**SHUT THE FUCK UP, RILEY**!" Clash bellowed, "I'm not gonna put up with you nonsense while I'm making this anouncement! Now, where was I? Oh yes. Like I was saying, The Freedom Fighter Protocol; Sonic and Sally thought it up a few years back after the Silver Bullet wars ended. How it works, is if at any point a crisis like the one we got going on right now ever came up, and we were faced with a foe that our military couldn't quite beat on their own, the individual acting as Commander of the Guard, which is currently me, due to Jake's recent injury, would be given full executive authority to put together a team of trained individuals that would act as the next generation of heroes… Freedom Fighters." Rouge then realized exactly what Clash's plan was. "That's why you've been training our children, isn't it?" Clash nodded. "Your son is quite a gifted sniper. I'm convinced that he got it from his father, am I right?" Rouge then glared at him. "I told you never to mention him again, Clash!" She yelled.

Saying this didn't change the fact that she still loved him deep down…

And also that she missed him greatly…

"So, what exactly would we call our team, then?" Asked Amy. "'Team Eagle Claw.'" Clash responded. "I honestly think we should go with 'Team T-Pup: Next!" Said Cream, "It'd almost be like old times, y'know? When-" "We're going with Eagle Claw." Clash interrupted sternly, "And that's that." Cream then looked at him, using her oldest trick in the book:

The cutesy eyes.

"Cream, you're wasting your time doing that." Said Clash, "Besides, you're too old for that to even work anymore."

Not wanting to be beaten so easily, Cream then pulled a very daring, dirty maneuver.

"Couldn't we do it in honor of Sonic's memory?" She asked innocently.

Clash growled angrily. "Cream…" He looked at her with anger in his eyes, "It is way too soon to be pulling that-" "How about a compromise?" Rouge interrupted, attempting to avoid an argument, and blowing a puff of smoke from her cigarette, "Call it, 'Team Eagle Pup' that sound fair?" Clash and Cream looked to each other for a moment. "I think it sounds fair." Said Cream almost immediately. Clash shrugged, then replied, "Fine. Team Eagle Pup it is." He then looked to Rouge, then asked, "May I have one of those?" "Didn't you quit years ago?" Rouge replied sarcastically. "Yeah, I did…" Said Clash, "But somehow, this whole mess is making me want to fall off the wagon. Which reminds me…" Clash continued, "I told my nephew to make us some specialized weapons and tech for our first mission as the newly christaned 'Team Eagle Pup.'" "'First mission?'" Asked Antoine, Amazed at how quickly things were starting to move along all of a sudden, "_Already_?" Clash nodded. "I had gotten word from Secretary Nelson of the UNT that a threat had been made toward's the President's life very recently. Told me someone might try and assassinate him Two days from now, one Wednesday, during his public 'state of the union' address over at the International Council building. He told me he suspected Robotnik of being behind it, and since we have more experience with dealing in with him, he asked me if I had a reponse team that I could send in to provide extra security, and, if need be, prevent a possible assassination attempt. I told him I did. I told him I had the best goddamn team of misfits and fighters waiting to take on anything. So, here's how it is…" He then turned to face his friends, "We, and this includes some of our new 'Freedom Fighters' too, are going to go to Station Square tomorrow, where we will be briefed on the situation, and assigned our new mission. However, there is _one other_ aspect of this mission…" Clash then eyed Rouge's cigarette for a moment, then turned his focus back to the group. "Jake's run off." Everyone else looked shocked at this. "I know, I know, he shouldn't have done that considering his major eye trauma he sustained recently, but Katelyn told me that he's developed some kind of 'power' related to it… Almost like 'Precognition' or something. She also told me that she looked at the call history on his phone in his study, and guess who called him last night?" He then pulled out a photo that Katelyn had found on his dresser that had come with a letter that had been cleverly written in makeshift braille.

It was of Jake and Fiona, back from before he had met Katelyn, when they were younger. The two were smiling at the camara, Fiona planting a kiss on Jake's cheek, and Jake making a peace sign pose, smiling happily.

Amy looked down at it, then looked at Clash, almost horrified. "No…" She said, "He wouldn't! He'd never-" "Amy, sweetheart…" Said Rouge, "You know how men are. Just when you thought they meant it when they said 'I do' they go on back to sluts like her." "She's not a slut!" Rouge looked to the door, Seeing Tails enter, looking a little angry that Rouge would talk about Fiona like that. Rouge put her hand on her hip. "What do you call it then, kid?" She asked, sassy sarcasm flaring in her voice. "She's been through a lot these past few years." Tails went on, "I talked with her a lot on Friendbook as of late. She's told me everything; about her breakup with Scourge, her return to Mobius, How Scourge broke into her house one night, drunk as a skunk(With, of course, _all_ the offense to that rat, St. John,) and raped her against the bedpost, how he was later arrested and sent to a maximum security prison for a multitude of crimes, her abortion that resulted from the rape, how people have looked at her since her return… Even how she reacted when she heard that her own mother had passed away while she was in Moebius with Scourge." He then glared daggers at Rouge and continued, "So I'd really appreciate it if you didn't talk about her like that. She's not the same person she was 25 years ago. She's gotten better. And I if I'm wrong, then so help me God, I'll nibble off the last remains of my left tail!"

/

_Dolphin's Wake Seaside hotel_

_Station Square Oceanfront community_

_The next evening…_

/

Jake ran up to the door to a room at the hotel, somehow knowing in his mind it was the right one, even without the luxury of his sight. He knocked on the door, giving a short, mild cough.

This was it.

If he didn't do this now, he would never get another chance.

Ever.

The door opened, revealing Fiona, who was wearing a complimentary white bathrobe from the hotel's bathroom. She looked at him, half stunned that he was now here. "I got your letter." He said, his mangled eyes meeting her gaze. "Were you followed?" Fiona asked, still kinda stunned. Jake shook his head. "If I was, I'd be able to smell them." he replied. He then entered, Fiona closing the door behind him and locking it. "How'd you even know where to go?" She asked, "Aren't you blind?" Jake then leaned with one hand against the wall. "I don't know…" He said, "My feet just took me in the direction I needed to go. It's like… It's like I don't even need to see things to be able to know where they are anymore." Fiona then walked beside him, then said, "So, you know my situation?" Jake nodded. "And I told you mine over the phone." Fiona then walked over and caressed his shoulder. He then grabbed the hand that was touching him, causing Fiona to gasp sharply. She then looked at his eyes, confirming what he had told her to be true.

Blood.

His corneas were flooded with blood, which streamed down his cheeks in rivers of bloody tears.

"You really _are_ dying, aren't you?" She asked.

Jake then took his gloves off slowly, then gently felt the area around Fiona's face. "It'll be soon." He whispered, "I know it. that's why I came here. To say goodbye. To feel your warm embrace one last time…" He then let go of Fiona, who then slid off her bathrobe, revealing a latex bodysuit that covered everything from her bosom down, and was made of red latex, and the chest area was made of a highly transparent pink, revealing her nipples pressed against the material. She then locked lips with him in a long kiss. The two made their way to the bed, where the kissing continued. Jake slipped off his dark orange leather vest, followed by his blue pants. Fiona then unzipped the back of her bodysuit, allowing her to show off her breasts. She then took one of Jake's hands and clamped it upon her bosom, whispering, "Squeeze it."The two then found themselves lying on the bed, continuing their act of adultery. After Fiona had finally slipped off her underwear, allowing Jake access to her ladyhood, Jake then thrusted his now fully erect penis inter her now slippery wet pussy, then rolling onto his back, allowing her to ride him like a horse.

Meanwhile, outside, they had an unexpected visitor peeking in on them, an FN Five Seven pistol at the ready, looking with shock and disgust. Chris then turned away, leaning against the wall next to the window, appaled at the sight of one of his own friends cheating on their wife like that. "Commander Thorndyke," Said a voice on his communicator, "Is he there? Repeat, Commander Prower in that hotel room?" Chris looked down at the communicator, then at the scene in the hotel room, then back at the communicator. He then responded, flatly,

"No. He's not… It's just a guy having sex with a whore."

He then walked away from the hotel, looking back only once, then continuing on his path.

Fiona soon found herself about to climax, moaning loudly as she continued to pump herself on Jake's member. Suddenly, However, Jake started coughing again. Fiona looked down at him, worriedly. He then tore open his medical bag, snatched out a medicine needle, and jammed it into his left arm, injecting the amber liquid into his system. "No…" he grunted, "Keep going…" Without question, Fiona then continued to pump herself on Jake's enlarged member. She finally orgasmed, giving out a what sounded like a mix between a moan and a scream. Jake shot his load inside Fiona's vagina, and she then ejaculated all over his legs. The two then panted, Jake heavier then her because of his sickness making him more exhausted easier. The two then fell back on the bed. "You're… you're certain your illness made your semen sterile?" Fiona asked between breaths. Jake nodded, still trying to catch his breath. "It happens during the final stage of the disease…" He panted, "basically, starting tomorrow afternoon, everything inside me is going to start to shut down one by one. That's why I needed to do this." "But, why do you have to cheat on Katelyn like this?" Fiona asked, "Couldn't you-" "**BECAUSE THEY'RE GONNA USE YOU TOMORROW**!" He shouted, "They're gonna use you to kill the president. You… Fiona, they brainwashed you to become an assassin, turning you into a murderer who kills without question. Plus… I wanted…" He then started crying real tears, not blood. "I wanted you to know that I still care about you too much to allow that to happen. I came to stop you. To help you. Fiona… They made you kill Sonic…" Fiona was taken aback by that last statement. She shook her head. "N-no… I-I couldn't have…" She stammered, "I'd never…" "Robotnik made you do it." Jake told her, tears streaming down like waterfalls, "He programmed you to kill him, and now he's going to make you kill the president." "**NOOO**!" She screamed, "Jake, you can't let them make me! You can't let them make me!" "I'll try…" Jake responded. He then started crying. "I won't let something like this happen all over again to someone I care about!"

He then thought back not to Sally's roboticization 25 years ago, but instead to an event in his _own_ life.

Back to when he had been captured by Robotnik when he was but six years old, then experimented on, and finally, once he was about ten, turned into a living mobian weapon.

Weapon M…

The masked mobian…

Robotnik's personal attack dog.

He had actually hurt his brother Tails on many an occasion during his time as that 'thing'

He didn't want that to happen to again.

To see someone be used like that.

Not even Fiona…

Not.

Even.

_To be continued…_


	32. Chapter 27: The hurtful truth

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapter also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters.**

**Reader descretion is advised.**

**Chapter twenty-seven: The hurtful truth**

_Zeke's private beachfront vacation home_

_251 Fire fox drive, Emerald Coast seaside community_

_Station Square_

_19 hours earlier…_

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Before leaving for Station Square, Clash took the members of the Future Freedom Fighter, as well as Team Eagle Pup to the Sonic the Hedgehog monument in Knothole Village square in an effort to show them all what they were fighting for. They all shared a moment of silence as to show their respects. Sherrock, who was there along with his brother, even cried at the aspect of how he would've been dancing on Sonic's grave 25 years ago. Gren even took off his sunglasses, revealing his eyes, which were entirely red with no iris', and had dark black circles around them (Don't worry folks, he's not losing sleep or anything, it's just a birth defect that he happened to be born with.).

Sometime after, the kids said their goodbyes, and they along with team Eagle Pup boarded Zeke's private jet to Station Square. Once there, Clash decided that Tails and the kids would use Zeke's private beach house as their base of operations for this mission, while Clash and Team Eagle Pup would use a nearby resort hotel as their base.

Once they arrived at Zeke's beach house, Argyle had this to say:

"Damn, this place is fucking _swanky_!"

The living room was a big, open room, with a scaffolding going over it that lead to both hallways, and it had a 70-inch plasma widescreen tv, an Xbox 720, a Playstation 14, a Nintega WiiU Neptune, a shit-ton of movies and games, an MP3 stereo system, a kitchen with a ton of ammenities that every vacation home needed, including a liquor fridge. There was also a patio out back with a swimming pool, a fire pit, a minibar, and a jacuzzi that had a built-in music player.

And don't even get started on the game room!

At some point during the day, though, three new members were added to the Future Freedom Fighters at their respective parents' request.

The first was a 16 year old lizaldian raptor with emerald green scales with navy blue stripe colorations, a row of long, purple spines going down the back of his hair that looked a little like a mohawk on his head, with one flopping low over his face. He wore a sky-blue button-up dress shirt coupled with a loose tie and a dark brown trenchcoat, as well as a pair of dried denim jeans.

His name was Claudius, and was apparently the 'surrogate' son of Scales Draconus, meaning that he was made from Scales' seed and the egg of a complete stranger.

The other two were a lively pair of twin mobian seal girls. One was a 17 year old with light tan colored fur, green eyes, and long brown hair with purple streaks in it wearing a purple and silver wetsuit top with the word 'Rabbot Crab Fishery' printed on the front of it, a tool belt around her waist, a pair of swimming goggles around her neck, and a waterproof watch that was water resistant up to 30 feet.

The younger sister, 16, was actually a hybrid; a mobian seal crossed with a mobian rabbit. She had purple colored fur with a yellow highlights on her hands and going down her tail, blue eyes, long blonde hair that had sea green streaks in it, long rabbit ears that poked out of her long hair, and had a tailfin that looked more fish-like for some reason. She wore a metallic blue tube top coupled with a short skirt she had crafted from a discarded fishing net, and had this beautiful pearl necklace that she wore around her tailfin, as if she was some knid of mermobian, which she is how she often thought of herself as.

These two Sierra and Sophia Rabbot, and they were the twin daughters of Bunnie's older Brother, Kheil Rabbot, and Sealia The Seal from the Arctic Freedom Fighters. The two had originally hooked up sometime after Eggman's defeat, which was forever referred to as 'The Great Victory' and moved to Alaska after their marriage. Since they couldn't grow carrots there, which was the Rabbot Family's signiture crop, they settled for the next best thing: Crab fishing. The whole family pitched in when it came to the new family business. In fact, by the time Sierra and Sophia were both 9 and 8, they too started to do their part.

Sierra, the older sister, was a hard worker, and did whatever task she was given with great speed and methodicism, while Sophia, the younger sister, was rather lazy, and liked diving and pertending she was a mermobian rather than helping out with the family business.

The reasons they were requested to join were as follows:

Claudius, who although used his powers for magic tricks rather than actual combat, knew quite a bit of black and white magic, as well as some forms of sorcery. He also knew a few transfiguration and hypnosis spells, but he always felt uncomfortably using the latter, as he felt it seemed 'wrong' to do that to someone.

Sierra happened to be good at diving and mixed martial arts, and was also a skilled marksmen with a harpoon gun.

Sophia, on the other hand, was good at spying, as well as using her good looks to her advantage. She also happened to be able to use a harpooning spear as a sort of pole-arm like a pro, as well as a martial art she came up with herself that she refers to as 'Kung-fin'

So, after sleeping arrangements were made, our heroes decided to just kick back the rest of the day and relax before their mission tomorrow.

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_6:00 PM…_

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Argyle sat in front of the TV, playing 'Pokemon vs. Digimon' on the on the Nintega WiiU Neptune with David, while the others watched. Just then, Trey, who was the only one of the younger members that had been brought along on this mission, heard his stomach growl, then said, "I'm hungry." Taking a hint, everyone tended to agree with him. they then came up with the idea of sending someone out to get food for them.

And guess who they chose?

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_6:45 PM…_

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Rutan walked back from the store, carrying a crap-ton of foodstuff for his 'friends' in his arms. As he walked towards the front door, he started realizing that he was losing control of his life. He put that thought aside, and told himself that his friends liked him, and they'd _never_ take him for granted.

That all changed the minute he stepped inside.

There were stacks of pizza boxes on the dining counter in the kitchen area.

Everyone sorta had these mixed uncomfortable looks on their faces, even Tails, yes, _**EVEN TAILS**_ had that same kind of look on his face.

Rutan, on the other hand, looked shocked.

"Well, this is rather awkward…" Said Argyle, a slice of pepperoni pizza in his hand.

"Sorry, man," Said Vicky, "We kinda got bored of waiting, so we decided to order some pizza to hold us over, but… Then we realized we had to feed everyone so… yeah…"

"Rutan, I tried to tell them to wait," Said Tails, "Really I did, but they just kept insisting, and so-"

It was then, that Rutan dropped the bags of food, then ran upstairs to the room he was sleeping in tonight, which conveniantly for him, he had to himself, then slammed the door and locked it.

Lara-Su glared at the others, then said, "You guys are unbelievable!"

Tails nodded in agreement. "You guys really should've waited." He added.

"And now you've all gone and upset him!" Lara carried on.

"c'mon, babe," Said Argyle, "I'm sure he's dealing with his troubles in a healthy, constructive manner."

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_Rutan's room._

_That very same moment…_

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Rutan laid out a black, vinyl cloth on top of the small desk in his room, then got out a small razor blade and some guaze bandages. He sat at the desk, taking in short, heaving breaths as if he was about to cry, holding the small razor blade in his right hand, while he laid his left arm face up on the desk in front of him.

"J-just a s-small cut…" He thought out loud, "That's all, just a small one. Nothing major like my usual cuts, just a small one…" He then swiftly slid the blad across his wrist, causing blood to flow from it like a waterfall. He yelped at first, but then that yelped slowly turned into a moan of ecstasy. He then bandaged it up, not wanting to bleed to death.

He then got out a small bag of a light blue powder and poured a little bit onto the cloth. Then, he took out a small straw and snorted it, making sure to do so for each nostril.

If anyone, and this included his mother especially, found out he was addicted to 'Chaos Powder' he would be in a lot of trouble.

Then again, when _wasn't_ he in trouble?

He then went over to a special duffel bag he had brought with him that had a big smiley face sticker on it. he then unzipped it, and took out it's contents.

He stripped down to his underwear and slipped on a pink lace corset and tightened it until he had a womenly figure. Next, he slipped into a skintight fursuit of a butter yellow mobian mink girl that came complete with a set of realistic boobs, taking care to tuck his spines in. Once he had zipped himself up, he then applied a bright blue eyeshadow coupled with metallic pink lipstick, then put on a white blouse with a pink sailor ascot, a short, pink ruffled skirt, and long, metallic pink leggings coupled with a pair of bright red high heels. After all that, he put on a long, brown wig, then walked over to the mirror and looked at himself.

No longer was he that stupid, incompetant, miserable echidna boy with the stupid looking speckled markings on his forehead, but instead this alternate persona he made up for himself named 'Lulu'

'Lulu' was a girl that was born around the same time as Rutan, and had a more 'pleasant' life than he did. 'her' mother loved her, 'her' friends respected her and no one ever bullied or downright humiliated her.

He then started talking to his reflection, as if he was having a conversation with this 'Lulu'

"Hi there, Rutan!" Said 'Lulu', "How's life been treating you?"

"Terrible, as usual." He replied, sounding slightly depressed.

"How so?" Lulu asked.

Rutan's eye gave a violent twitch.

"I feel like my friends can hardly even be considered my friends anymore." He answered.

Twitch.

"Oh, they can't be _that_ bad!" Lulu told him reassuringly.

Twitch.

Rutan blinked his eyes, one after the other, which also had this somewhat manic look in them.

Oh dear God…

Let's cut away to a little bit later, shall we?

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_7:35 PM_

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Tails, Argyle, David, Rutan (no longer wearing that costume of his, thank god.), Lancer and Claudius all sat around the firepit chatting away about 'guy stuff'

"… So, basically, we _almost_ did it once," Said Argyle, finishing his story about how he almost got to second base with Lara-Su, "But we were interrupted by her dad telling her that her grandfather died. When that happened, she was no longer in the mood."

"Interesting…" Said Lancer, taking a sip of his beer. Claudius sat twirling a gold coin between his fingers. "Y'know…" He said, "I actually learned a thing or two about making aphrodisiac potions recently. They're actually pretty easy to make, and you can get the ingrediants from the supermarket. If you want, I could whip one up for you and you could slip some of it in her drink or something." Argyle shook his head. "Thanks, but no." He said, "I'd rather just wait." "Claudius," Said David, "You realize that there's already drugs out there that do that exact same thing." "How do you know that?" Asked Lancer. "I did my research." David responded. "So, Tails," Said Argyle all of a sudden, "Who was your first?" Tails went red with embarrassment. "I… I'd really rather not talk about it…" he answered. Lancer leaned forward in his seat with interest. "Really, now?" He said, "Was it bad?"

Tails shook his head. "N-no, it's just-"

"Was it with someone of a different species?" Claudius asked.

"… Sort of…" Tails answered.

"Was it another type of mobian?" Asked Rutan.

Tails shook his head.

David raised an eyebrow. "Was it a human?" he asked.

Tails shook his head again.

"Was it Lizaldian?" Claudius asked.

Tails then muttered something incomprehensible.

"What was that?" Asked Lancer, cupping a hand around his ear jokingly.

"Seedrian." Tails answered, louder this time.

The group looked at him like he had just yelled out the S-word in front of David and Lancer.

"They're an alien race of anthromorpthic plant people," He explained, "And there was this one that visited Mobius once. Her name was Cosmo, and she was… Beautiful. Her skin felt almost like silk, and had the color of olives. She always smelled sweet, like sugar, and she had a beautiful voice. She would often sing me songs from her home planet, and she sounded like an angel from-" "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up!" Said Argyle, "Are you telling me you fucked an alien?! Like in fucking James Camaron's 'Avatar'?" "that's a little messed up, Tails," Lancer added, "Not gonna lie." "That's how my older sister was born!" said Claudius, "Except, all I know about her was that she made some poor choices in life as a result of it. Come to think of it, my dad never told me too much about-" "No one cares, Claud!" Yelled Argyle, who then redirected his attention to Tails, "But more importantly, details, man. Was it good? Did you cum first?" Tails sighed heavily, then said, "Well, see, it went like this…"

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_Tails' workshop_

_Mystic Ruins_

_18 years earlier…_

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_Tails and Cosmo both lay sitting up in the bed, side by side. Tails had this petrified gaze of shock and fear on his face as looked forward, staring into the void. Cosmo, on the other hand, looked at him worriedly._

_There was a pause before she finally spoke._

"_Tails…" She said, "I just want you to know that I'm sorry for… You know, and that that's just how we reproduce on our planet, okay, and that although it seems 'weird' and 'strange' on your planet, on mine it's just commonplace, and I don't want you to think of me any less for it, and-"_

"… _How long did you say I had until I give birth?" Tails asked._

_Cosmo looked at him for a bit, then answered._

"_Two weeks."_

"_Oh… Okay then."_

_Tails then fell on his back on the bed, then said, "My stomach hurts."_

"_That would be the seed being planted inside you." Cosmo told him._

"_Okay…" Tails answered, "Thanks for telling me that."_

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"She got _you_ pregnant?!" Argyle asked, laughing all the while.

"I'm not finished!" Tails yelled, "There's more after that!"

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_Cosmo woke up to Tails' screaming. She ran to the bathroom, which where he was, and when she got there, she realized she would probably need to explain more about Seedrian biology._

_The fur and flesh on his entire torso, as well as half of his body, was replaced with a silky, lime green colored skin, that almost resembled a plant stem._

_He stood there in front of the mirror, eyes wide with fright, hyperventilating._

"… _What did you do to me?" Tails asked her._

_Cosmo sighed, then explained. "Because I reproduced with you, a mammal-like lifeform, the seed has to adapt in order for it to develop into a seedrian, so it infused some Seedrian DNA with yours."_

_Tails looked at her fearfully. "So, what you're saying is…"_

"_You going to turn into a Seedrian." She finished._

_Tails' lower lip twitched in fright._

"… _Temporarily, of course." Cosmo finished, "It's only until the baby is born. After that happens, you'll turn back. I promise."_

_The next few days that followed, Tails' transformation continued to progress:_

_Gone was the fur and flesh on his body, and in its' place was the silky, lime green plant-like flesh that Seedrians usually had. His eyes were now a completely forest green with lighter-green iris', his tails were now long and slim with little flower buds on the very tips of them, and as time went on, his belly started bulging out more, showing his new pregancy to the world. His nipples, which were about the only mammalian body part that seemed to remain, would sometimes swell up like balloons and squirt out a whitish-green fluid that tasted like sugar water._

_Cosmo had told him that he would have to stay outside for about sixteen hours a day so that his body could produce nutrients for the baby, and that he couldn't eat regular food and instead had to water himself every morning._

_One day, he was walking out near the oasis at the Mystic ruins and found that his feet had suddenly taken root into the soil, therefore preventing him from moving. Cosmo told him this was the final stage of Seedrian pregnancy, and that he should just remain calm and let the metamorphosis continue. _

_Once his feet were now completely rooted into the ground, his body from the chest down started to swell like a balloon until his lower body was a big, bulging mass that was transperant and allowed one to see the developing seedrian inside him. his nipples once again became swollen as well, so much so that they turned into big, cantalope-sized breasts, the aformention whitish-green fluid dribbling out like waterfalls every so often. About three more days in, his arms became nothing more than large stems of these huge, pink flowers that replaced his hands. Another day in, and he was unable to move __anything__, even his mouth. He had become compeltely immobile. And on the final, fateful day, a huge, pink blossom opened up on Tails' belly, and out from it came the newborn seedrian, who looked to be about the size of a five-year-old mobian. Shortly after that happened, Tails suddenly found himself inside the fluid-filled balloon that had once been his body, thrashing about like he was about to drown. The back of the shell that was once his body then burst, allowing the seedrian birth fluids to flood out, and allow Tails freedom. He poked his head out, gasping for air. "Are you alright?" Asked Cosmo, running to him, the newborn in hand. Tails nodded. She then held it out in front of him. "It's a boy, you know." She said. Tails, now rightfully pissed off, then told her through gritted teeth, and with venom practically dripping out in his voice, "Go. Home." He then stormed off back to his workshop and closed the door._

_Sometime after about a year and a half, Cosmo then took her new son, whom had been named 'Aud' as a reference to the monster from 'Little Shop of Horrors' who was named 'Audrey 2' Tails only talked to her once that day, and that was to say goodbye._

_It was during that same year that Sally's father passed away, and that she gave birth to Sonia._

_But, we already covered that, so…_

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"Dang." Said Argyle, "You dumped her after you gave birth to _her_ kid?" "I was angry!" Tails snapped, defending his case, "I was just angry because of what the ordeal had put me through." "So you not only dump her, but you also tell her to get the fuck off the planet." Said Lancer, "That's messed up, man." "I don't know which part is more racist…" Claudius added, "The fact that you told her to go back to her own planet, or the fact that you named her kid after a venus flytrap monster from outer space from an eighties Rick Moranis movie." "In my own defense," Said Tails, "Riley was the one who came up with the name, not me." "Still kinda messed up." Said Lancer. "You know what's _really_ messed up?" Said Argyle, "Today's date." David looked at him funny. "Why's that messed up?" He asked. Claudius then looked to him, worriedly, putting the coin away. "Today, my friends…" Said Argyle, "is actaully a bit of a holiday to a certain crowd." "Why's that?" Asked Lancer.

Claudius looked to Rutan, then back to Argyle.

"Because today is the one-hundred year centennial of the formation of the Dark Legion." He then glanced at Rutan for a moment, then said, "I'm sure Rutan here know's what I'm talking about." Rutan raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Wh-what do you mean by that?" He asked. "You mean you seriously don't know about them?" Argyle asked. Rutan nodded. Before Argyle could say another word, Tails put his hand on his shoulder, then shook his head, mouthing the word, 'don't.' Claudius then took Rutan inside, taking him to the bedroom he, Trey and Lancer were all sharing. He then got out his laptop, then opened it up, and started typing 'The Dark Legion' on the search bar. "What're you-" Rutan began, but Claudius stopped took his right hand, then said, "Rutan, just so you know, the things you are about to see are very horrible, and very wrong, but regardless, they _did_ happen." He then opened up Mobiapedia and showed him all about the Dark Legion and their 'exploits'

Their formation towards the beginning of the year 2245…

The human slaughter of 2256…

The Fox hunt of 2376…

Their involvment in helping the Lizaldians to establish the tyrannical and facist Draconian empire…

And what's more…

Their involvment with the Eggman Empire…

It was until he saw a pictures of certain past members that the tears came.

One, was Katelyn, Trey and Lita's mother, whom Rutan had grown to know as a kind, caring soul, and seemed incapable of killing anyone for no reason.

And yet there she was, standing over a strung-out corpse with a blood-covered knife.

The second was Julie-Su, Lara's mother, and his aunt. She didn't seem capable of murder either.

And yet, she was there, standing in front of a row of corpses, an FN FAL rifle slung over her shoulder.

It was the third, however, that really set him off.

His own mother…

Lien-Da…

Standing over someone who had been chained to a post, a whip in her hand, ready to strike the prisoner's flesh again.

Her eyes, in that photo, held not kindness, nor understanding…

But Cruelty.

"… N-no…" He whimpered. "I'm sorry, Rutan." Said Claudius, "I just-" "I want to talk to her." He said, "I want to hear her tell me herself if she was one of them." He then went to the videophone in the room and dialed his home number. Claudius wanted to say something else, but he felt now that he'd said too much, which made him feel even worse. The screen of the videophone then showed Lien-Da on the other end. "Rutan?" She asked, wearing her usual surly complexion, "What do you want?" "Mom… I want to know…" Said Rutan, trying to hold back his tears, "… Were you, or were you not a member of the Dark Legion?" It was then, that for once during the entire time Rutan knew her, that Lien-Da looked at him nervously. "Wh-why do you-" She began, but was quickly interrupted by Rutan shouting "**ANSWER THE FUCKING QUESTION**!" he then clamped his hand over his mouth when he heard himself yell the word 'fuck' at his mother. Lien-Da looked away in shame for a moment, took a deep breath, then answered.

"Yes. I was. Me and your aunt Julie-Su were both born into it, raised to kill without question or hesitation. Though your aunt Julie-Su started to question the reasoning behind the things we did after a while, I, on the other hand… Was a monster."

She sighed, then continued. "I hurt a lot of people back then, but then, one day 25 years ago, after the Great Victory, I changed. I tried to become a better person, to become a normal member of society, to have a kid. And… I did. But I had to keep the truth from you until I felt you were old enough to handle it. And also I-" "So you lied to me…" Rutan interrupted, "You lied to your only son his whole life, and never once considered what he might've been going through? What his feelings were? What his own outlook on himself was?!" "Rutan," Lien-Da tried to explain, "I lied to protect you from them! They're still out there, you know, awaiting for their next leader to arrive! That's why I kept the truth from you; so you wouldn't get mixed up with them." "Shut up!" Rutan barked at her, "I don't want to hear your fucking excuses, you, you, you fucking cunt!" Lien-Da was a little stunned right now. Rutan? Cursing like an Aussie? The very concept seemed almost alien to her. Rutan then looked her in the eyes and told her, with a venomous tone of pure, unadulterated loathing, "I hate you." He then hung up. After he did that, he ran out of the room and down the stairs to the front door. He threw it open and just ran. He didn't know where to, nor did he care. He just ran to whereever his feet decided to take him. He didn't stop until he tripped on a rock set inside a path near a cliffside, falling face-first onto the hard ground. He pulled himself back up, wincing as he felt a stinging pain on his lip, along with the coppery taste of blood that came with it. He spat out a mouthful of it, then looked in front of him. He had come upon a hilltop park, consisting of a few benches, a streetlamp, and a stone pathway. He had almost considered the idea when he heard a voice come from only inches behind him.

"The truth hurts, doesn't it?"

He turned around with a yelp, and his sudden shock was justifiable based one who he saw behind him:

It looked as though it might be an echidna male in his mid forties, but his body looked almost like it had been mangled in a terrible accident or something. He had a sickly orange fur color, horrible, bloodshot eyes with dull green iris', his entire body was covered in scars of all kinds, and his body from the waist down was roboticized, as well as his right arm, which had this sharp monster-like robotic claw for a hand. He also wore a metal, robotic-looking mask of some kind over his mouth. He also sounded like breathing was exhausting for him.

"Wh-who are you?" Rutan stammered. The monstrous echidna gave a sharp cough, then answered. "My name is Dr. Finivetus," he said, his hoarse, sickly sounding voice muffled underneath the mask, "And you must be Rutan." "How do you know my name?" Rutan asked apprehensively. "Because you are my great, great grandson." Finivetus answered. Rutan gave him a skeptic look. "If you're my great, great grandfather," He questioned, "then how come I've never heard of you?" Finivitus narrowed his gaze at Rutan. "Because she despised me." He told him, "She always hated me. She and the old order were quick to disca-" "Wait, 'Old Order?'" Rutan interrupted, "What old order?" Finivitus apparoached Rutan slowly, like a monster stalking it's prey. He was soon standing right over Rutan, who had never really been around to many 'tall mobians' in his life. "The Dark Legion." He said coldly. Before Rutan could respond, he continued, "I was discarded by them, like garbage. They told me I believed in ways that were considered obsolete. Even your mother was quick to throw me aside." Rutan looked up at him for a moment, then asked, "What makes you different from them?" Finivetus coughed again, then replied, "Because they see me as a monster. And, not only that, but they treated me with no respect whatsoever. I suppose you can only imagine what that's like…"

Rutan then thought back to all the times when he was bullied, pushed around, or taken advantage of.

He also thought about how his own friends hardly gave him the respect he deserved.

And how his own mother was more concerned about him cleaning the pee off the toilet seat then him saying his prayers before going to bed.

"No…" He said, "I do know what it's like. All my life I've been bullied and taken advantage of, publically humiliated, even. Great grandpa… I want to join you and your factionless regime or whatever you have going right now." Finivetus looked at him for a moment, then said, "Then you must prove yourself." "What must I do?" Rutan asked.

Finivetus looked at him, his mouth looking like it was curled into an evil grin underneath the mask.

"Here's what I want…" He explained.

_To be continued…_


	33. Chapter 28: Confessions

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapters also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters.**

**Reader Descretion is advised.**

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: Confessions**

_Zeke's private beachfront vacation home_

_251 Fire Fox drive, Emerald coast beachfront community_

_Station Square_

_Thirty minutes after the events of chapter twenty-seven…_

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Claudius sat on a rock on the beach near the beach house, looking up at the stars above wistfully. He had done this very often after the events of last year. He hoped and prayed he would see it again. Just then, his thoughts were interrupted by Lara-Su, when she approached him and asked, "Claudius, what're you doing out here?" He looked to Lara, then responded, "Oh, just looking up at the stars. If you look carefully, you can see mars. It's very bright tonight." Lara-Su looked up as well, and sure enough, she saw the red twinkle that was mars. "Hey, uh, Lara-Su." Claudius asked suddenly, "Could I ask you a favor?" Lara turned her gaze at her lizaldian friend. "What's that?" She asked. "Now, this is going to sound a little crazy…" Claudius explained, "… But if you ever see a blue box fly through the sky, let me know, okay?" Lara looked at him as if he really _was_ crazy.

"… Sure." She answered.

Claudius shook her hand excitedly. "Thanks." He said. "And remember, it's a blue Police Box, with the word 'T.A.R.D.I.S.' written on it, so if you see it flying through the sky at night, or just anywhere in general, let me know immediately." Claudius then walked back to the beach house, Lara-Su trailing behind precauriously. He dug in the left pocket of his trenchcoat and pulled out that gold coin he was fidgeting with earlier.

It was made of bright, illustrious, 24 karat gold, and had an engraving of a planet of some kind with sixteen rings around it on one side, and one of a peculiar emblem on the other that was not of any nation on the planet.

Claudius clenched it in his fist and remembered back to when he first got it, back on Sylonia when he, Silver and the Doctor went there and uncovered a plot to overthrow the Sylonian Republic and therby foiled it. The coin was given to him by their queen as a token of appreciation, and as a sort of thanks for performing a magic show for her.

_Someday, Doctor…_ He thought to himself, _Someday we'll meet again…_

Meanwhile, Trey, Sophia, Sierra, Vicky, and Lancer were all hanging out at the glass screen room, which featured a minibar, a jacuzzi, a Metal Slug X arcade console that had been modified to utilize infinite continues without the use of tokens, a dart board, and an HD plasma widescreen TV in front of a wicker couch. Vicky and Sierra were both lounging in the Jacuzzi, while Trey played the Metal Slug X machine, Lancer and Sophia watching all the while.

Of course, Vicky chose to lounge in the jacuzzi completely naked, and getting nearly blackout drunk while doing so. Sierra, on the other hand, wore a lavender bikini top, and was a little disgusted at Vicky's behavior right now.

"Lancer…" Vicky called out to her boyfriend. Lancer turned his gaze to her. "What?" He asked,

"Lancer…" Vicky repeated.

"What?"

"Lancer…"

"What?"

"Lancer…"

"What?"

"Lanc-"

"**WHAT**?"

"Come have sex with me, Lancer." She said, her speech slurring. Lancer shook his head. "No, Vicky. I can't." He responded, "Not while you're drunk. It wouldn't be right." Vicky growled angrily. "Fine!" she yelled, hiccupping, "Some boyfriend you-HIC-are! Fag!" "Hey!" Said Sierra, slapping her on the back of her head, "Watch yer language, missy! There's a child present!" "Sierra, seriously, it's cool." Said Trey, "I use that kind of language anyway. Just not that particular-**FUCKING SHIT**!" He watched as he died for the twelvth hundredth time on the level boss he was fighting. "**YOU MOTHERFUCKER**!" he continued, pointing at the screen, "**DIE WHERE YOU STAND YOU BASTARD**!" "Sacre bleu!" Said Sophia, "Such a mouth on you! Do you kiss your mozzer with zat mouth?" Trey turned to her, regaining his poker face, then replied, "Not always. But when I do, I'm always sure to look to see if my friends are watching before I do so. But enough about me…" He then gave Sophia a seductive glance, "What sort of things do _you_ do in your free time, my hunkalicious syren of the arctic?"

Before Sophia got a chance to answer, Rutan entered the screen room.

The entire room fell silent.

He sighed, then said, "I just want you all to know that I don't like it when you all take advantage of me or take me for granted, and that I want you guys to start showing me some more respect. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go to bed. Goodnight." He then walked out, then up the stairs to his room.

The room was silent once more.

Then, Lancer said, "What the fuck was that about?" Sierra shook her head. "Hell if 'Ah know." She replied.

However, they had no idea as to what Rutan was planning, nor had they any inkling as to where he was earlier, what he had been doing, and more importantly…

Who he'd been talking to….

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_Pink Seahorse Resort Hotel_

_Emerald Coast Beachfront_

_Station Square_

_That same moment…_

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Clash sat on the couch of the master suite he, Rouge, Espiona and the rest of Team Eagle Pup were staying in and using as their forward command post of sorts, loading 12-gauge dragon's breath shells into a 30-round drum magazine for an AA-12 assault shotgun he had modified. The body of the gun had a colorful, dragonscale-print paint job, with the word 'The Burninator' pasted on the side of the stock in bold, demonic print, and had an attached laser sight, tactical light, and even an underbarrel flamethrower!

Rouge had been watching him do this the whole time, wearing a pink, spandex aerobics leotard with yellow leggings, resting for a bit after doing some yoga earlier. She remained silent until Clash had loaded the twenty-seventh shell, then finally said, "Okay, I gotta ask. Clash? Do you have any idea what the word 'overkill' means?"

Clash gave her a funny look, then responded with, "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"That gun, Clash!" She said, "You're loading a 30-round extended drum magazine with incindiery rounds, and yet you have a goddamned _flamethrower_ attached to it as well!" Clash looked at her for a moment, then said, "… And, your point?" "This isn't Vietnam, Clash!" She said, "There is a certain extent to the amount of force a member of the armed forces should show in a situation like the one we're faced with now. And furthermore-" "Have you ever even _been_ to Vietnam?" Clash asked sternly, "I watched as several of my buddies died in the mud when we were fighting in Laos, rain pouring from the sky in sheets, as we dodged fire from Overlandic Vietkong soldiers firing at us with their RPK Machine guns and their RPGs. I saw a guy fall into a pungee pit and bleed to death, Rouge! Ever seen that happen? His intestines were splayed out in front of him, coiled around one of the spikes like a snake. And as I stood there with my M60, I swore that I wouldn't let him die in vain, that I kill as many of those bastards as I could. _THAT_, Rouge, is what Vietnam was like. Back in Nam, death was always listening… And would take the first man that screams…"

Rouge looked at him like he was cra…

Well… Actually…

Nevermind.

Anyways, She then said, "Jesus Christmas, Clash, are you going through tobacco withdrawal? Do you need a cigarette or something?"

"Actually, that would be just lovely." He said, a more peaceful, cheerful look now on his face, "But I know you won't lend me any of yours, so I'm gonna go to the lobby and buy some myself." He then placed the magazine on the coffee table, then got up and walked towards the door. "Clash, I was being sarcastic!" Rouge called after him. Clash ignored her. When he opened the door, though, he saw Riley there, holding a bucket of ice from the ice machine down the hall. Clash moved aside, allowing him to enter while he exited. Riley shut the door behind him, then placed the ice on the kitchenette counter. He then turned to Rouge and asked, "Where's Amy?" Rouge then replied, "She's in her room, but I don't know if you'd-" "Thanks Rouge." He said, interrupting her. He then stormed over to his and Amy's room, throwing open the door. However, what he saw upon initial entry upset him even more than he already was.

Amy lay there on the bed, wearing nothing but a black open-breasted latex dress with a short ruffled skirt, and had been stroking her swollen cliteris while looking at a cover photo of an old issue of 'Blue Blur' magazine depicting Sonic wearing a pair of jams at a beach, holding a beach ball under his shoulder. However, since Riley had walked in on her like he did, she didn't get a chance to cum.

"R-Riley!" She said, frantically covering her exposed vagina with one hand and her breasts with the other, "Th-this isn't what it looks like, I swear! I just-"

"Change." Riley said in a stern, commanding tone, "We need to talk."

After Amy changed into a more, well, more decent than what she was wearing before, outfit, which consisted of a black 'Playmobian' t-shirt with the signiture Playmobian chao symbol printed on the front of it, and tight, blue shorts that revealed a pair of stilletos that she had been wearing earlier. She didn't bother to put on her gloves. She and Riley both sat on the side of the bed. They exchanged not a word, until finally, Riley said, "Amy I want to ask you something, and I want an honest-to-God answer, okay?" Amy nodded, looking at him guiltily. He took a deep breath, then asked, "Do you still love me, or do you still love Sonic?" Amy was taken aback by what her husband was asking her, and actually had to think for a moment before answering. She then replied, "… I… I love you… but… Somehow, I'm still drawn to Sonic." "Oh, so _that's_ why you have to pertend I'm Sonic whenever we have sex. Because apparently he's the _only_ man on the entire planet who could _ever _make you horny!" Amy then slapped Riley across the face, standing up angrily after she did so. "Don't treat it like that!" She yelled, "I'm not an obsessive whore who-" "**BULLSHIT**!" Riley bellowed, standing up, glaring poisonous daggers at Amy. "throughout our entire marriage, you have done _nothing_, and I mean absolutely _**NOTHING**_ but pine over Sonic! And now, two weeks after his death, I find you masturbating to a photo of him? Really? Is this your way of honoring his memory? By fapping to him?!"

"Riley, I-"

"NO! No more fucking excuses! Do I even matter to you? Do you even care about me? Do you even fucking love me?!"

"**YES**!" Amy shouted.

Riley stopped his rant for a moment, letting her continue. "Yes, I do love you, but…" "But what?" Riley snapped. Amy rubbed her left shoulder nervously, looking away in shame. "… When Sonic and Sally first got married, I quickly became a green monster of jealousy. I drank, I touched myself, I had sex with a goddamn latex hedgehog lovedoll, for Christ's sake. I then came up with what I thought at the time was the perfect plan to spite Sonic and Sally." She closed her eyes for a moment as tears formed around them. "I started going out with you in an effort to make Sonic jealous. That's why we had all those double dates with Sonic and Sally. Eventually, I found out that you actually had feelings for me. That quickly became the biggest, most ruinous variable in my plan. I actually felt terrible when you proposed to me. Nonetheless, I accepted, and we married.

"At first, I liked being married to you, I enjoyed your company, I even came to your orphanage reunion a few years after. But as time went on, I realized that I made a huge mistake. I realized then that I still wanted him. I still wanted Sonic to ride me like a rodeo cowboy. But I never said anything, at least until I blurted out his name when we were having sex once. The worst part was that I kept doing it. After that, I fell back into my old state of obsession. Then, one night, on New Years… I did a very bad thing…"

She then sniffled as tears streamed down her face. "Got Sonic drunk that night, and slipped some roofies into his drink. And once he was nice and drunk, I… Oh God, this was horrible… I plunged myself on his penus. I had sex with him while he was vulnerable from alcohol. And the worst part isn't that he didn't remember, oh no. The worst part… Is that I can never say sorry to him!" She then sobbed into Riley's chest. "I'm sorry Riley! I lied to you! I've been a terrible wife! Please… Forgive me…" Riley held her for a moment, looking at her with a stone-cold gaze, then let go of her. He looked at her a for a long time, then said, "No." Amy went wide-eyed with shock.

"If I forgive you now, you'll just go and do it again. There's really no point in it..." He then reached for his marriage ring on his left finger, took it off, then threw it on the floor in front of Amy. "Just like there's no point in being married to you. After all, all you are is an obsessed, overly-attached fangirl." He then stormed out of the bedroom, then towards the door, throwing it open, revealing a slightly distressed Clash, holding a box of cigarettes. Riley pushed him aside, walking off. Clash looked to him, then called out, "Yeah, just shove an elderly man aside, why don't you!" He then came in the room, closing the door behind him. "What the fuck's up with him?" He asked. "I don't know." Said Rouge, her body contorted in a yoga pose, "But he did sound like he was having an argument with Amy earlier." "They were arguing?" Clash asked, sitting on the couch again. Rouge nodded as best as she could, as she was laying on her stomach as she held her left leg near the left side of her head, while her right was raised up behind her. She also had her wings pressed against her sides. Seeing this, Clash then commented, "I never once noticed how flexible you were, Rouge."

"At least I can do it without throwing out my hip." She retorted cooly.

"Hmm, Touche, Rouge, Touche." He responded, "but that's not important right now. Listen, earlier, while I was in the lobby coming back from the gift shop with a box of smokes, I recognized a familiar face, and guess who it was?"

"Who?" Rouge inquired.

"You know that lizaldian psycho broad I told you about the other day?"

Rouge nodded.

"… I saw her, wearing a goddamn red dress and heels, fucking lipstick on her lips, talking into a payphone. She was also carrying a large object wrapped in cloth that I'm assuming was some kind of gun."

Rouge bent out of her contorted pose then sat up cross-legged, looking at Clash with concern.

"Did she see you?" She asked.

Clash s shook his head. "If she had, she would be here right now, gunning us all down with whatever weapon she was concealing."

"Did you at least hear her conversation on the phone."

"Well, lucky for me it was a video phone call, so I listened from behind a nearby corner. She appeared to be talking to some guy, sounded slightly european, crossed with something else, I dunno, apparently his lazy english is very good. Anyways, the guy asked her what she had found out on her end, and she told him that subject Vixen, whoever or whatever that is, was ready to be activated when it was time. She also told him that he would have to wait a while until after tomorrow before making his move."

Rouge raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying we may have a double threat?"

Clash placed a cigarette in his mouth and lit it.

"I dunno…" He answered, taking a puff, "But I got a _real_ bad feeling about this."

_To be continued…_


	34. Chapter 29: Surpressed Insanity

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapters will also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters.**

**However,**

**There is a bit of a graphic rape scene in this chapter, so do take note of that.**

**Reader descretion is advised.**

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Surpressed Insanity**

_Sally's POV…_

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_I awoke in my own bed, gasping briefly. I blinked, then looked around._

_My room was as it's always been; Lavender painted walls, purple curtains in the window, an ebony wood vanity next to the door to my bathroom, a standing mirror in the left corner of the room, two separate wardrobes, one for me, and one for…_

"… _Sonic?"_

_I looked to my left and saw that he was laying next to me, his head turned away from me._

_I felt relieved. Everything that had happened these past two weeks were nothing but a bad dream._

_A very vivid, very intense dream._

_A smile went across my face as I turned to him. "Oh thank God!" I said to him, "I thought you were dead!"_

_My joy left me when he turned to face me._

_Sure, it was him, same fur color, same prickle-style, except his hands were replaced by sharp claws, and his teeth were long, sharp fangs, and his eyes…_

_Black, with red iris', bleeding black blood from them…_

_I backed away from him, falling out of bed while I did so. The monstrous imposter crept towards me, snarling and bearing it's fangs at me. My breathing became shallow, my eyes widening in terror. I looked around for something I could use to defend myself with. I then saw a pair of scissors on my vanity. I picked them up and held them in front of me like a dagger. "S-s-s-stay back!" I stammered. The beast eyed me for a moment, as if it was calculating whether or not I would stab it with the scissors. It then lunged on top of me, pinning me down with it's weight. I screamed bloody murder as it slashed at me with it's claws, tearing my short, pink silk nightgown to shreds, staining them with my blood. I then stabbed it in it's arm with the scissors, causing it to howl in pain. I then pushed it away and attempted to escape, until it turned around and bit my left forearm, clamping it's jaw around it. I screamed again, this time because of pain. I felt the long, sharp teeth puncture my skin, and then felt them squeeze on the bones in my arm. "__**LET ME GO**__!" I screamed, "__**LET ME GOOOOOOOO**__!" Suddenly, I felt the skin on my elbow start to tear. I realized now there was no other option. It was either me, or my arm. Choosing my option, I pulled with all of my might, desperately attempting to free myself from the monster's clutches. I then felt the intense pain as my left forearm was torn clean off by the monster. I bit my lip to keep from screaming until it bled. Then, I ran out of my room, down the halls of the castle, not knowing where I was going, but just so long as I was far away from that thing._

_However, as I ran through the halls, I saw many a gruesome sight; Corpses of royal guardsmen, laying around in bloody heaps, some still holding their weapons, others multilated to the point of being completely unrecognizable, corpses and organs hanging from the ceiling by long, iron hooks, and many more that I dread to revisit. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw something that truly frightened me._

_There, written on the wall in front of me was the phrase: "Die, Sally" written over and over again in blood, decorating it in a macabre mural._

_I fell back onto my rear, backing away from the bloody artwork in front of me, holding the stub where my left arm was in an effort to stop the bleeding. I started hyperventilating, then the tears came. I wailed like a small child who was lost deep in the woods._

_I don't want to die._

_That was my exact thought at that time._

_Suddenly, I smelled a foul odor, smelling almost like rotting flesh. I then looked at the stub where my arm was and gasped._

_The stub was starting to decay and rot._

_I looked at my right hand and saw that it too was rotting. As it decayed, it started to fall apart, my finger and hand bones falling to the floor in a rotten, dusty heap._

"_**NOOOOOOOOOOOO**__!" I screamed again, "__**I DON'T WANT TO DIE**__!__** I DON'T WANT TO DIE**__!"_

_I then fell through the floor, falling into a seemingly endless abyss._

_My eyes opened, and I was laying on a cold, steel floor. I sat up and looked at my hands._

_Thankfully, they were both still attached to me and not rotting._

_However, my outfit had apparently changed._

_I wore a white Powerbunn Girls t-shirt underneath my signiture blue vest, as well as a pair of blue jeans, and my favorite blue boots._

_I also appeared to be younger, eighteen, in fact. I was…_

_I was the same age I was when I had been roboticized..._

_I then saw a large steel door open in front of me, revealing a faceless, shadowy humanoid figure. It entered the room, closing the door behind it and locking it with a loud clink. It approached slowly, like a predator stalking it's prey. I stood up and backed away towards the wall. Soon, it was standing directly in front of me, looming over me like a tall shadow. It then unzipped my vest and slipped it off of my body. "What're you-" I began, but it continued to undress me like a Barbie doll. It then started unbuttoning my pants, it's movements careful, almost robotic. "Stop it!" I yelled, trying to smack it's hand away, but it continued, unzipping my pants and pulling them down and off of my legs. "__**STOP**__!" I yelled again, pushing it away. Once I did that, it then pinned me against the wall behind me, knocking the wind out of me as I hit the hard, cold steel wall. I felt as it forcefully pulled my underwear down, practically tearing it off of my legs. "__**NO, PLEASE**__!" I yelled again. But it didn't listen. I then felt something hard and massive pierce through my rectum, causing a sharp, tearing pain. I screamed like a banshee this time, screaming until I practically ripped my vocal cords out. The massive unknown object continued to plunge my rectum, causing me pain that increased with each thrust. I tried to squirm away, but when I did, the shadowy monster slammed me in to the wall harder. I felt a bruise form over my right eyebrow when I hit the wall, swelling like a balloon. The right side of my face was pinned to the wall, forcing my vision to my left. The thrusting became faster and harder now. I felt blood trickle down my legs, as well as the warm release of urine between my legs. "Please…" I begged, my voice hoarse from screaming, "… Stop…" Suddenly, I felt some kind of warm, sticky fluid shoot into my rectum with the same velocity as water out of a fire hose. The object then pulled out, shooting the sticky substance all over my back. I fell to my knees, then onto my side, letting out painful, hoarse sobs. I touched the sticky substance on my back with my right hand, then brought it in front of me._

_It was a dark, sinister purple, and was sticky, like tree sap._

_I rolled onto my back, yelping when my sore backside hit the floor. I cried and cried. And then, as if it weren't enough that I just got raped, I saw the other me, towering over me triumphantly. "No…" I said, my voice soft and hoarse, "Please don't…" The other me smirk, then pounced on top of me, ripping my shirt open. "No…." I whimpered. It then tore off my bra and grabbed my breasts, squeezing them hard and violently. _

"_Please…" I begged._

_It then lowered it's lips to my right nipple and began to suck hard on it, grasping my hips tightly for support._

"_No…"_

_I felt my breast start to swell, as milk squirted out of it and into the creature's mouth. It slurped it up with glee, savoring every drop that came out. It then pulled away, kneeling over, eyeing my like I was some kind of prize._

_It then let out a girlish, yet demonic-sounding giggling. "You know you're powerless against me…" It told me, it's voice slightly distorted, "You know it in your very heart. I will come out and take over whether you like it or not."_

_It then giggled again, but the giggling soon turned into laughter as it bent it's head back while it laughed. _

_I smelled rotting flesh again. I was decaying again, faster, this time._

"_No…" I whispered hoarsly, "I don't want to die…" _

_The wave of decay reached my chest._

"_Sonic… Help me…"_

_The decay reached my neck._

"_Please… I… Don't… Want… to… Da… Dah… Unnggh…" I moaned as my face started to decay, my vision becoming blurry as my eyes melted inside my skull..._

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I woke up again, still in my own bed, except it was still night, and Sonic was nowhere to be seen. My entire body was hot and drenched in sweat. I crawled out of bed, feeling absolutely sick to my stomach. Feeling nauseated, I stumbled to my bathroom, then knelt over the toilet and vomited into it. I barfed for what seemed like ten or nine minutes, then then took in long, gasping breaths. I stood back up, then flushed the toilet, then walked over to the sink and slapped some cold water on my face. _Get it together, Sally,_ I thought to myself as I gazed at my reflection in the mirror, _You're better than this. You can't let those nightmares get the best of you._ "Yes, Sally…" My eyes went wide with shock. My reflection was looking back at me with a smirk. "That's right, You can't let the bad dreams scare you." It taunted in an almost childish fashion, "After all, you _are_ the 'Fair and Just ruler, Queen Sally Alicia Acorn!'" "**SHUT THE FUCK UP**!" I screamed at it. I then punched the mirror, causing it to shatter and break into a million pieces. I pulled my fist back, wincing in pain at the tiny mirror shards that had imbedded themselves into my knuckles, causing some minor bleeding. I pulled the shards out, then opened the medicine cabinet, took out some gauze bandages, then bandaged up my cuts. I took a few deep breaths in an effort to calm myself down. However, when I turned to leave the bathroom, my heart sank to my stomach when I saw who was standing in the door way.

Manik stood there, looking slightly unnerved at what I'm assuming was what he saw.

"M-Manik?" I said, "H-How much did you see?"

Manik stood there for a moment, thinking carefully, then replied,

"Mom… Why were you talking to yourself like that?"

_To be continued…_


	35. Chapter 30: Activation

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapters also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters.**

**Reader descretion is advised.**

**Chapter Thirty: Activation**

_Dolphin's Wake Seaside Hotel_

_Station Square Oceanfront Community_

_4:58 AM_

_The next morning…_

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_Jake's POV…_

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I awoke with a gasp, my body incredibly hot and sweaty. I panted heavily, my breaths deep and sickly. I had a fever. A really bad one at that. I felt around for Fiona, who was sleeping to my right. I groaned, then called to her, trying to wake her up. "Ungh… Fiona…" I moaned, shaking her, "Fiona…" I couldn't see her, but I knew she was awake when she asked, "Jake, what is it?" I tried to tell her I had a fever, but my whole body was in so much pain that it was overwelming me. I then felt her hand touch my forehead. "Oh my God…" She said, "Jake, you're burning up!" I pulled myself up, but Fiona attempted to stop me. "No, please, lay down." She told me, but I didn't care. Once I was fully sitting up in the bed, I immediately felt nausous. I then bent over and vomited all over the bed sheets, the coppery taste of blood lingering in my mouth once I did so. I then lay back down. "Stay here," Fiona instructed, "I'll go get some ice from the ice machine." I then heard her getting dressed, then grabbing the ice bucket, then run out the door. I reached for my medicine bag on my bedside table, got out a syringe, then jabbed it into my left arm, injecting the medicine into my bloodstream. Once I knew it was all gone, I threw it aside, not caring where it landed. I took deep, gasping breaths as my body started to cool down a little bit. The pain also subsided, so I was able to pull myself out of bed. I found my clothes, then put them on.

I had no idea why, but somehow, even though I was now blind, I just knew where things were. I zipped up my vest, then sat down on the bed.

This was it…

Today was the day…

I felt strangely nervous. I was also so very afraid. I felt as though Death himself was breathing down my neck, his breaths cold and ominous. I also knew what I would be leaving behind.

Fiona…

Tails…

Trey…

Lita…

Melody…

Skye…

Mina…

Katelyn…

Oh God…

Katelyn would be absolutely heartbroken if she learned about what I did last night. I felt so guilty. Tears formed around my mangled eyes, then rolled down my cheeks in a silent sob.

I betrayed her…

The only silver lining in this was that it was likely that she would never find out, as I would most likely take the memory of this act of adultery with me to the grave.

But still…

She trusted me…

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_Fiona's POV…_

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I made a beeline for the ice machine, which I knew was in the middle hallway of this open-air hotel. Once there, I held the ice bucket underneath the dispenser and held down the button on the machine with great haste. I took shallow, deep breaths as I did this.

I was panicking

Calm down, Fiona.

Get yourself together, girl.

I took my thumb off the button and placed the half-full ice bucket on top of the machine as I took a moment to calm down.

I knew if I got riled up, I would make a mistake.

But at the same time, I knew if I took too long, Jake could die.

Suddenly, I heard someone whisper something in my ear.

I immediately froze when I heard it.

That dreaded word…

"Ascension…"

_12…_

No…

_23…_

No…

_45…_

_5…_

_5…_

Nonononononononononono, Please God no!

_17…_

_21…_

_20…_

I then blacked out, succumbing to the numbers calling to me…

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_Jake's POV…_

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Something was wrong…

She was taking too long…

The ice machine is only a 5 minute walk from our room.

She's been gone for ten…

I reached for my beam sword, which lay on the bedside table next to my medical bag. Something was definatly wrong. Her chaos energy changed. I could sense it. I could also sense someone else with her.

Someone evil…

I then heard a knock on the door. I crept to the left side of it, deploying the long, bright yellow blade from my weapon. Slowly, I reached for the doorknob, then carefully turned it, and opened the door.

One person came in.

I held my sword out in front of me, ready to attack if I had to.

That changed when I heard who was in front of me.

"Jake, what are you doing?"

It was Fiona.

However, she sounded a little off.

"Fiona…" I asked, standing my ground, "Where were you?"

"I was getting ice." She responded, shaking a half-full ice bucket as proof, "See?"

"Then why did it take you nearly ten minutes to do so when it should've only taken you six?"

She went silent after I asked that.

"Well?" I asked again, this time in a more commanding tone, "Why did it take you that long?"

She remained silent.

I then sensed someone else in the room with us.

That same evil I sensed earlier was in our presence.

"Monster…" I said out loud, addressing the newcomer, "What did you do to her?"

I then felt something long, serpentine, and scaly wrap around my waist, as a claw-like hand grabbed my shoulder.

"Nothing…" A female voice cooed in my ear, sounding more seductive than threatening, "I just activated her is all."

Activated?

Oh no…

I felt a sharp prick in my neck as a syringe was jabbed into it. I felt myself grow drowsy. I struggled to fight off the unknown drug, but it proved futile as my body fought a losing battle. My motor skills slowly took a nosedive, as I dropped my beam sword, the blade going back into the hilt. I fell first to my knees, my eyelids growing heavy, not that it mattered, of course.

I then fell into the darkness of sleep, as I crumpled to the floor…

I woke up again, who knows how much later, laying on the bed in the room. Curiously, I found that my arms lay criss-cross on my chest. I tried to move, but I found that my body was bound together somehow, as if I was trapped in a coccoon of some kind. I kicked and squirmed, but this soon proved futile. I then attempted to discharge a wave of my Chaos lightning to break the coccoon open, but when I did, it stayed within the confines of my skintight prison.

Rubber…

The cocoon was made of rubber…

My captor knew my weakness…

"If you're wondering what you're trapped in…" The same female voice from earlier told me, "You should know that you've been wrapped in rubber tape. A simple precaution, considering what your powers are."

I tried to open my mouth to curse the women, but my mouth and muzzle was clamped shut by the tape. I noticed, however, that everything below the long bridge of my muzzle was wrapped. Thankfully, my nose was left uncovered, as to allow air to flow into my lungs.

"And, additionally…" the voice continued, "If you're wondering who _I_ am, allow me to introduce myself…" I felt the pointy tip of her claws touching my left cheek, as if she was caressing me. "My name is Lynn Draconus…" She cooed, "And my master has given me explicit instructions to make sure you don't interfere with his plans today. Now…" I then felt the cold barrel of a handgun press against my left temple. "In doing so, I could just kill you now…" The barrel was taken away from my head. "… But that would be no fun… Instead…" I then heard her pick up my medicine bag from the bedside table. "Hm? What's this?" The demoness asked. I squirmed, trying to get it back, my yells for her to put it down muffled by the strong rubber tape clamping my mouth shut. I then heard her take out one of the syringes, probably looking at it with curiousity. "This medicine…" She began, "Is it not the same medicine used to treat Kitsu's Disease?" I squirmed my way over to where she was, my cheek touching what I assumed was her rear.

However, my situation worsened when she felt this.

"Oh my…" she said, "Frisky, are we?" I felt what I assumed was her long, serpentine tail wrap around me like a snake, picking me up. Strangely, I also felt a bunch of fur brushed against my face, as if it was attached to the tail.

She was a hybrid.

She also appeared to be a deviant, as she started licking me, as if she was a predator tasting it's prey before devouring it.

"I must say, Mr. Prower…" Said Lynn, her face right in front of mine judging by the thick scent of perfume I was smelling, "You are very attractive. You have a very athletic body frame, your hair is just that beautiful long length that girls dream of… however, the only offset is those eyes of yours… Wait…" She then touched my left eye itself with her claw. I only winced when it actually touched it. "You're… You're blind?" She asked. I nodded, my eyes narrowing into a defiant glare. "I was only asking, darling," She said, "There's no need to look so defensive." She continued to hold me with her tail, squeezing a little tighter than earlier, as she was thinking of what to do with me next.

She then said, "You know, my species, the Lizaldians, actaully used to eat mobians back in their tribal days. They hunted them, then bit into them, devouring that delicious mobian meat off of the bones. We've long since stopped doing that after we became more civilized. However, I am curious, though…" She then licked my face, slathering it with a thick, smelly slime which I assumed was her spit. "… What _would_ a mobian fox actually taste like?"

Suddenly, there was the sound of what I assumed was a cellphone ringing. Lynn then put me down, setting me on the floor. I then heard her walk into another corner of the room, answering it.

This was my chance…

Carefully, I bit into the tape holding my mouth shut, nibbling at it until my mouth was free. Next, I scratched at the tape over my hands, using every bit of sharpness that my groomed fingernails had. All the while, I listened in on Lynn's conversation.

"… He's incapacitated, yes… I took his powers in lightning magic into account when I bound him."

"…"

"Don't worry. The way he's bound, he won't be able to escape at all…"

Oh, how wrong she was…

I had already made a hole in the tape near the fingers of my left hand.

"So we're on schedule, then?"

"…"

"Yes, it's true. Robotnik _is _planning on making an attempt to claim the president's life. He's going to use one of our sleeper agents to do it, too."

"…"

"Which one?"

"…"

"Our first prototype. Subject: Vixen."

"…"

"Yes, I took the liberty of activating her now. As far as old Ivo's concerned, she works for him."

It didn't sound like Lynn was talking to Robotnik, as she was referring to him in third person. But if it wasn't Robotnik, then who was it?

The top of my entire left set of fingers was now free. Quickly, I started to tear the tape off of my body, which hurt a lot, since I was covered in fur. I gritted my teeth, holding in pain-filled cries as I tore each strip of tape off of my body. Before long, my entire body was free. And since Lynn was still distracted by her phone call, I began my counter-attack. I summoned a bunch of chaos energy into my right hand, forming a blade-shaped formation of blue lightining. Then, I dashed right into Lynn's back, impaling her through her heart. I heard he give a lound gasp after I did so. Her cold blood covered my hand and arm. I then dashed for the door, not checking to see if she was actaully dead, kicked it open, then dashed down the stairs to the parking lot and ran. I heard gunfire coming in my direction, probably a guard that had accompanied Lynn. However, only one bullet managed to graze my right arm. Regardless, I kept running.

I had to get to Fiona before it was too late…

Both for her…

And for me…

_To be continued…_


	36. Chapter 31: The Awakening of a Goddess

**Evil Never Dies**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapter will also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters.**

**Reader Descretion is advised.**

**Chapter 31: The awakening of a Goddess**

_ARK Space Station_

_One month earlier…_

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_Maria's POV…_

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Death…

It is the state of being that every mortal man dreads the most.

Sickness… Accidents… War…

Murder…

Many things can cause a man to die.

It's what makes us mortal.

Like when I died, years ago, here on the ARK.

The strange thing about it, though…

I'm somehow awake now.

Last thing I remember was being shot in the head by someone that I loved…

And then I had faded to black.

But now, suddenly, I'm… Awake… My eyes feel like they're closed, and my entire body feels cold.

I also feel like I'm floating underwater.

I open my eyes, slowly and wearily, as if I was getting out of bed in the morning like I would've back when I was alive. I then see that I'm floating in some kind of green liquid. My entire body was limp, as if it life was just now being breathed into it. My mouth and nose is covered by some kind of life-support mask, feeding me my first breaths of oxygen. The only thing I saw past the sea of lime green around me was the blurry outlines of what looked like a laboratory. I managed to move my left pointer finger slightly, well, it was more like a twitch, really. I twitched it again, and again, this time moving it almost an inch. One by one, Slowly, but surely, my motor skills started to come back to me. I then realized my first 'want' in this world.

Out…

I wanted someone to let me out of this thing.

I tapped the glass of the pod I was in with my hand.

No one came.

I tapped again, harder this time.

Still no one.

I was panicking now. I started banging on the glass, my eyes wide with fright.

I wanted to scream.

What was going on?

Why was I in some kind of stasis pod?

Where was my father?

Was I dead?

Was I ressurrected?

Did I reincarnate?

Am I in heaven?

Hell?

Purgatory?

Where?

"Help!" I finally managed to get out, slightly muffled underneath the life-support mask, "Let me out! Let me out!"

Suddenly, I heard what sounded like a buzzer come from outside the pod. I also heard some kind of voice say something like: "Regeneration Process, 100% complete. Beginning awakening process."

At that, I felt the warm green liquid drain out of the pod, letting me fall to the floor. Once it was all drained, the glass around the pod opened up, allowing me freedom. I tore off the mask, gasping for real oxygen.

I glanced all around the room, surveying my surroundings. I think I was somewhere in the genetics lab, the same one where...

… Something happened.

But what was it?

I pulled myself to my feet, which proved troublesome as I was still very weak from just being reborn, if that is indeed what happened to me.

I was so cold.

Upon closer examination, I immediatley noticed that I was completely naked and drenched with the lime green stasis fluid.

I huddled my arms around my breasts, trying to keep warm. Were the life support systems even on? I could breath, yes, but why was it so cold and so barely lit in here?

I needed to leave this room.

I walked towards the door with small, easy steps, trying my best to keep my balance. I pressed the door operation button, and the door slid open, just as slowly and wearily as I had managed to walk here. As I walked out, I noticed that there were what looked like the remains of bodies here and there, some with weapons, some without. I held onto the left wall for support, panting as I went on.

I was so exhausted.

But I kept on going, taking in the scenery of the decrepit space station as I went on. Eventually, I reached a room labeled 'Break Room'

I opened the door to it and stepped in.

I was immediately met with a huge, excrutiatingly painful migraine.

I fell to my knees, clutching my head, crying in pain.

Suddenly, something flashed in my mind.

A memory…

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_February 22__nd__, 2989_

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_I sat on one of the big, red velvet couches in the break room, shivering nervously._

_This couldn't be happening…_

_We were being attacked by our own military…_

_Sitting next to me on the couch was a small, 5 ½ year old hedgehog with black fur, red eyes, and wearing a pair of experimental glide shoes._

_He was more frightened then I was._

_He hugged me tightly, not wanting to let go ever._

_Sitting in the couch to the left of mine was one of our scientists._

_She was about 22, most likely a college graduate. She had short blonde hair that was done in a side ponytail, and had pink and purple streaks in it, green eyes, a pair of round, wire frame eyeglasses, light skin, and wore a white labcoat overtop a pink Happy Bunny T-shirt that had a large blood splatter on it from witnessing someone getting their brains blown out right in front of her, grey denim jeans, and a pair of black boots. She also wore her employee identification badge around her neck._

_She looked equally as scared as me and the hedgehog, shivering nervously._

_Standing next to the door, holding a FAMAS Assault rifle was a 27-year-old man, with lightish-tan skin, hazel eyes, a scruffy beard, and wearing set of urban camo fatigues coupled with a light tan tactical vest, a black military cap coupled with a communications headset., black combat boots, black fingerless gloves and a holster on his right leg that held a Berreta M9 pistol._

_And sitting on a sofa across from me while loading a SPAS-12 assault shotgun was a young, 19 year old boy._

_My true love…_

_He had light brown hair that went down to his neck, and he had styled into a mullet, blue eyes, light skin, and wore a brown leather jacket overtop a grey 'Pittsburgh Pirates' baseball jersey, olive drab cargo pants, brown fingerless gloves that were made of leather, and a pair of worn out sneakers that looked as though they were held together with duct tape._

"_I'm gonna go out and ask," Said the girl, "Because apparently no else is; what's out escape plan, here?!"_

"_Can it, Misty!" Yelled the older man, "I'm workin' on it!"_

"_Don't yell at her, Nathan!" I scolded, sticking up for Misty, "She's scared."_

"_We're all scared here…" Said the adolescent boy, pumping the shotgun after loading the last rounnd, "Doesn't mean we should lose our cool. We have to remain calm. Maria," He said, turning to me, "Is there any way off the ARK that hasn't been breached yet?"_

_I thought hard. There had to be some way off…_

_The evac shuttles had already been destroyed…_

_Our two-way teleporter system wasn't even completed yet due to funding issues…_

_So, that would only leave…_

"… _The escape pods." I answered, "The emergency escape pods have a pre-set flight program that leads straight to Earth. All we need to do is pick a city, and it'll land there!"_

"_Are you sure it's our only chance?" The boy asked._

_I nodded. "It's our last and only chance, Francis! If we don't reach them in time, then that's it…"_

_Francis looked to Nathan, who nodded, then opened the door and peeked out, looking for signs of hostile forces. Francis then walked over to me and handed me a gun. "You'll probably need this…" He told me. I picked it up in my hand._

_It was a Browning High-Power pistol. 10-round 45. Caliber clip. It was as accurate as it was deadly. I discharged the magazine, checking to see if it was loaded, then pushed the magazine back in, then pulled on the slide, chambering a round._

"_You know how to use it, right?" Francis asked me._

"_A little…" I lied. In truth, I never once used a gun of any kind before in my entire life. _

_Probably because I never needed to._

_He then handed me five extra clips for it, which I placed in a handbag I was carrying with me, which also held money, some snacks, medical supplies, and a stun club._

"_Maria…" I looked down at the young hedgehoglett, fear in his eyes. I gave him a small smile. "Everything's going to be okay, Shadow." I told him, "We're going to get out of here. We're gonna go to Earth!"_

_After I said this, Francis put his hand on my shoulder and told me, "Don't get his hopes up too much. You know as well as I do there's an equal chance of failure in this plan."_

"_Let's go, everyone!" Yelled Nathan, pulling on the loading handle of his rifle._

_I took Shadow's hand, then followed Nathan and Francis down the hallway…_

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I gasped loudly after the memory stopped.

The ARK was… Attacked…

By G.U.N.'s hand…

I pulled myself up once again, then walked out of the break room and down the hall, stumbling as I walked.

"Shadow…" I cried out weakliy and hoarsely, "Where… Are you, Shadow?"

I fell against the right wall, leaning on it for support, panting once more.

I couldn't fall again.

Not after I'd come this far.

I continued on until I got to a large room that looked like a lobby of some kind.

I stumbled weakily into the lobby, trying my best to keep my balance, until I got to a certain spot in it, at which point I fell to my knees again.

Another migraine, stronger this time. I clutched my head, gritting my teeth as the sharp, agonizing pain went through it like a staple through tissue paper. Blood dripped from my nose like water from a faucet.

I then screamed as another memory flashed before my eyes…

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"_This is bad…" Said Nathan. We hid behind a corner leading into the lobby, where several G.U.N. soldiers had hostages all at gunpoint. One of them, probably some kind of officer, was calling out to us, yelling, "Surrender your weapons and come out now!"_

_As he waited for about ten minutes, he walked over to one of the hostages, put a pistol to the man's head, then shot him point-blank. "Come out or we kill another hostage!"_

_Nathan looked to us, then to the scene before us. "I have a plan…" He said. He then handed his pistol over to Misty, then said, "You see any enemies, shoot them. Got it?" Misty nodded. He then turned to the rest of us, then continued, "I'm going to cause a distraction. When that happens, run. Run and don't stop running. Got it?"_

_We nodded. "But what about you?" Misty asked. Nathan grunted. "It's probably gonna be a one-way ticket for me…" He then walked around the corner over to the crowd of soldiers, dropping his rifle to the side then putting his hands up. The officer then walked over to him to apprehend him. Suddenly, the minute the officer grabbed Nathan's left arm, Nathan then grabbed the officer, then snatched a grenade off of the officer's belt, then took the two of them closer to the other soldiers as he could get. Next, he pulled the pin, flipped off the top, then yelled, "__**NOW**__!"_

_The resulting explosion was our signal._

_As soon as the smoke cleared, we ran. We ran as fast as we could, going through the lobby, not once looking back…_

_Not even to check to see if the hostages were alright._

_Not that it mattered, anyway…_

_They're going to die anyway…_

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The memory went as soon as it came.

People died for my safety…

For Shadow's safety…

I pulled myself to my feet once more.

Something was telling me that I had to go to where the escape pods were if I wanted to know the rest.

I continued walking towards the escape pod room.

The pain from my migraine lingered the entire time.

"Unnngghhh…." I moaned, "… Gahh, the pain…. Shadow…."

I kept calling for him as if I had the notion that he was on the ARK somewhere.

"Shadow… Help me…"

I doubted that he was.

"… Please… It hurts…"

He was probably on Earth now.

"… Shadow…"

I wonder if the plague had killed off the entire human race yet.

The plague…

Something about that paticular event in history…

Angers me…

But why?

I finally reached the escape pod room, and sure enough, all the escape pods had been jettisoned, including…

… The one…

The one-man escape pod…

The one whos glass airlock door was forever stained with blood.

This was where it happened…

This is where I died…

Upon immediate entry, I saw that there were the skeletal remains of two bodies,

One was male. The other, female.

To the right of the spot where I died, a SPAS-12 assault shotgun lay discarded.

Three empty shells littered the floor.

To the left of the spot where I died lay a Browning High-Power pistol.

The same one Francis gave me.

I walked over to it, picking it up.

The black metal body of the gun felt icy cold, as if it hadn't been used in decades.

And then, suddenly, my migraine returned.

And with it, the final memory…

The memory of my death…

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_By the time we had reached the escape pod bay, almost the entire facility had been overrun._

_We were lucky we got here first._

_Francis opened the door to the pod bay, and was greeted by one of our security guards armed with an MP5._

_Francis aimed the shotgun at the guard instinctively._

"_Hey, take it easy!" He yelled, "We're on your side."_

_The guard took a deep breath, then lowered his weapon._

_He then let us in and closed the door behind us._

"_Has anyone been through here earlier?" Francis questioned, "Any survivors?"_

_The guard shook his head._

"_No." He replied._

"_Have you heard from anyone?" Francis continued to ask, "Does anyone know you're here?"_

"_No…" The guard answered again, "It's probably just us here."_

"_Good."_

_Francis then pointed the shotgun at the guard's chest and blasted a hole through it, spraying blood all around._

_Misty screamed, and then Francis silenced her by turning around and shooting her as well._

_Francis pulled on the pump, discharging the empty shell._

"… _No witnesses…"_

_Shadow cowered behind me, while I looked at Francis, my eyes wide with terror and shock. He turned to us, and just looked at me, his expression calm, as if he was ignoring the fact that he just killed two innocent people._

_The one question that burned in my mind right now was-_

"… _Why?"_

_Francis narrowed his gaze._

"_Why?"_

_I nodded._

"… _I'll tell you why."_

_He sighed deeply, then explained._

"_I got word a while ago that the plague had killed off my home town, Pittsburgh. However, it was shortly after that that I found out just who and what was responsible for the plague."_

"… _Who was it?"_

_He looked at me, and when he did so, it felt like he was looking right into my soul._

"… _Your father, Dr. Gerald Kintobor, created a virus from an old Soviet bio weapon called 'Nova 6' then recombined it using some kind of advanced form of biotechnology. However, as they were transporting it to another lab, there was a mishap. The truck they were trnasporting it in overturned in the middle of Chicago, and the virus was released into the public._

"_It spread like a wildfire, infecting millions, and killing off millions more. Our own human race now faces extinction because of your father."_

_His grip on the shotgun tightened._

"_They're saying that was only one so-called 'wonder' that came from all this. You know what it is?"_

_He then pointed the shotgun directly under my chin._

"_**DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT FUCKING IS**__?!" He bellowed._

_I shook my head, not daring to say anything lest I anger him any more than he was now._

_He then lowered the shotgun._

"_They're saying that the only 'good' thing that came from this…"_

_He then pointed at Shadow._

"… _Is… __his__ kind…. An entire highly evolved race of fucking talking animals. Fucking forest creatures, dogs, cats, birds, foxes, bats, fucking goddamn lizards!"_

_He panted, as if his rant was exhausting him._

"_So now, our military, G.U.N., offered me a deal. I help them take down Dr. Kintobor, They take me, and anyone else who swears their allegiance to them back to Earth. They're saying that the plague has finally died down. People can live again. We can re-build! The only problem though… Is __them__… The fucking animals…" _

_He aimed his glare at Shadow as he went on._

"… _They need to be reminded who came first..."_

_He then grabbed him, then pointed the barrel of the shotgun against Shadow's head._

"_Maria!" He cried._

"_Shadow!" I cried back._

"_You know how this goes…" Said Francis, "Jettison all the escape pods, or he dies. I doubt you want that to happen to your special little freak here!"_

_I looked to Shadow, then to the escape pods._

_He was right._

_I had no choice._

_I walked over to the first pod, then pressed the launch controls, and launched it out into space._

_I did the same for each one that came after, until I got to the one-man pod._

_It was meant to be used by the escape pod operater, but it had launch controls here inside the space station._

_I looked back at Shadow one last time._

_Then, descretly, I mouthed the word 'Bite'_

_He understood immediately._

_I turned towards the controls, as if I was going to finish what I was instructed to do…_

_Then, I heard the sound of Francis crying out in pain. _

_I then turned around, then delivered a swift kick to his side, knocking the shotgun out of his hands, and him to the ground along with it._

_Shadow immediately ran to my side. When he did, I opened up the pod, then picked him up, and placed him inside._

"_Shadow, listen to me…" I told him, "You're going to have to go to ear-"_

_A loud bang echoed in the room._

_And with it, the sharp, violent pain of my upper back being blasted open._

_The buckshot spread hit me as if it were a million hornets, stinging me until I was raw._

_I spat out a mouthful of blood all over Shadow's face._

_His eyes went wide with terror._

"_Shadow…" I said, pain coursing through my back with each word, "Listen to… me…"_

_He perked his ears up, as if to obey me._

"_I want you… To never… Forget… That… No matter what they do… No matter what they say… Not all humans… Are evil… Never forget that…"_

_I then closed the pod door, locking it shut so that the inside would stay pressurized._

"_I… Love you… Shadow…" I told him through the glass._

_I then pressed the launch button, and out it went._

_Off towards the little blue planet we called 'Earth'_

_I fell to the floor, smearing blood all over the pod controls._

_My gun fell to my right._

_I reached for it, as if to make one final, desperate stand._

_Francis simply stepped on my right hand and held his foot there._

_He threw the shotgun aside, having used all it's ammo, then pulled out a Colt 45. Semi-automatic, then pointed the barrel straight at my head._

_The final words I ever heard come out of the mouth of the man whom I thought loved me were:_

"_I really, really wish you'd just done that in the first place."_

_I then heard what sounded like a bang, then fell into darkness._

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I gasped heavily, as if remembering all this was killing me.

I then kelt over and vomited on the floor.

Humans…

I told Shadow that day that not all humans were evil…

Now I realize how wrong I was…

I…

I hated them…

I hated all of them…

I…

I wanted them all to die…

I gritted my teeth as pure, unadulterated hatred coursed through my body. My grip on the gun became tighter, as I slowly raised it in front of me, eyeing the side of it, as if I was about to kill someone with it.

However, suddenly…

"The truth hurts, doesn't it?"

Instinct turned me towards the door and fire a single shot at the speaker, not even allowing me to get a better look at her.

She looked sort of like a man-sized dinosaur woman, but oddly enough, had patches of blonde fur here and there, as well as a full head of long, wavy blonde hair. She was wearing what looked like a pair of dark red vinyl pants, a matching red sleeveless top that covered everything from her mammalian breasts down, and a long, black, PVC trenchcoat.

I also just shot her through her chest.

She looked down at the wound, as if it were nothing more than a stain on her shirt. She groaned, then said, "Thanks. You just ruined my favorite top."

She then made a long cut through the front and sides of it with her dragon-like claws, then tore it off, revealing a strapless, black, vinyl bra.

I then watched as the wound healed up almost instantly.

She looked back at me, then smiled and said, "Sorry if I frightened you. It's just that I noticed that you had finally awakened, and since I had finished taking care of something I had been told to do here, I figured I'd come find you."

My hand that was holdiing the gun trembled from both shock and adrenaline.

"Wh-who are you?" I asked, "_What_ are you, even?"

"Put the gun down…" The hybrid told me, "Then I'll tell you."

Obediantly, I lowered the weapon, keeping it in my hand in case I needed it.

"My name…" The hybrid began, "Is Lynn Draconus. And, I am what is known as 'Lizaldian-Mobian hyrbid.' I also work for a very, very powerful man… One that has taken a recent interest in you.

"If you're wondering why you're even alive right now, it is because years ago, your father attempted to regenerate you through a special kind of cloning process that involves recombining your genes and therefore 'rebuilding' your damaged body. However, it would be a long time until you were finally awake and ready to live once more, so, eventually, he just left. He abandoned you. And now, about a century and a half later, we, my associates, mind you, picked up where your father left off, and finished you. And, not only that… But we also instilled in you certain kinds of 'powers'"

"'Powers?'" I questioned, "What kind of powers?"

She smriked, half evily, and half seductively.

"… The powers of a God."

I looked at her like she was crazy.

"Creation… Resurrection… Regeneration… Even power over death… In fact, that gun you're holding can easily be your tool of death… A mere instrument for the process of taking lives and claiming souls."

I looked down at the gun.

A tool…

A tool of death…

That's what she called it.

"Now then," She continued, "While I would like to explain to you how to use your powers, I'm afraid that I have somewhere I need to be right now, so I suppose that some things are better learned through experience. Feel free to do whatever you please here. However, there will come a time when we will need your help with something. When that happens, you will be given specific instructions, and you must follow them."

"Why should I do that?" I asked, "What would I gain from following instructions from someone I only just met?"

She then caressed my left cheek with her right hand.

"… Revenge…" She cooed, "Revenge against the people who killed you and everyone on board. And, you will be able to create a new Earth. A perfect world, made exactly how you want it to be. One… Where you reign over them… As their Goddess…"

Something about that notion…

Something about not only getting revenge, but also the idea of ruling over everything as a Goddess…

Seemed so right…

It felt…

Good…

"By the way, before I go," Lynn said, "Two things I should mention. One; I left you a little outfit in your bedroom. Figured a Goddess of a perfect world shouldn't go her entire new life naked. It's just uncivilized. I just know you'll like it. And two: We also left you a few 'playmates' in the genetics lab. All you need to do is awaken them."

She then summoned a dark purple magical energy around herself, then said,

"Farewell… for now."

And then, she teleported away.

After she did that, I stood right up, then walked to my private living quarters. I threw open the door to the bedroom that me and Francis shared, and saw that there was a big, flat cardboard box on top of the bed, with a note on it that said, 'For you. –Lynn'

I opened it up, then put on the outfit inside.

It was a skintight bodysuit made of a deep, velvet red vinyl material, with lighter red pad-like pattern design all over it, coupled with a long, silk skirt that reached to my ankles, a belt with a holster for my gun and a long dagger in a sheath, a pair of knee-high high heeled boots, and a long, flowing black cape.

I gazed at my reflection in the mirror in the corner of the room.

I really did look like a Goddess.

Creation…

I wonder…

I raised my right hand in front of me and concentrated, as if something would happen.

And just like that, a small, adorable rabbit was blinked into existance right on my bed.

It worked…

But still, I wondered…

I then pulled out my gun, then aimed it at the rabbit and pulled the trigger, blowing it's brains all over the bedsheets.

I then raised my left hand, and concentrated once more, and watched as the rabbit's death wound healed itself instantly, and opened it's eyes, alive and well once more!

Lynn was right…

I did have divine powers now.

A long, manic smile spread across my face, and I started to laugh, not knowing for what particular reason, but just laughing.

I… I was a Goddess…

No…

I _am_ a Goddess!

And all those pathetic, worthless mortals down on earth…

They will pay…

They will _all_ pay, and they will all bow down and _worship_ me!

For I…

Am Maria, the All-loving And All-Just Mother of Earth!

_To be continued…_


End file.
